Man Buys a Chevy and Gets Arrested For Getting a Deal

If you leave the car dealership feeling  you got away with a steal, you might want to watch for the police — literally! That’s the lesson Danny Sawyer has learned. He bought a brand new Chevrolet Traverse, but didn’t like the color black, so returned the next day to swap it for a blue. He signed the contract for the same price ($33,957) and headed on his merry way. But after a week of vacation, he found his phone full of pleading and then threatening message that he should have paid $39,000 for the blue. When he refused, the dealership reported the car stolen, and Sawyer ended up behind bars.

He spent four hours in jail and then was out on bond. But with all the hubbub, Priority Chevrolet had a change of heart, and its President, Dennis Ellmer issued an apology, saying it was “definitely a mistake.”

“I owe Mr. Sawyer a big apology,” said Ellmer to the Virginian Pilot. “It is my plan to let him keep the $5,600 and to make Mr. Sawyer right. I can’t tell you how I plan to fix it, but it is my intention to make it right.”

But Sawyer, meanwhile, is seeking $2.2 million to make it right. His suit alleges he has suffered “nightmares, fear of arrest, emotional distress, shame, loss of reputation, and sleeplessness.”