A 24-year-old was arrested and jailed after he allegedly sold a car that wasn’t his to an unsuspecting buyer for $500.
An incident report from the sheriff’s office states that on July 12, 2025, an individual reported that he had bought a vehicle from Mike O’Brian Kelly, 24, of Douglas, for $500. Kelly told the buyer that the title was in the glove compartment. When the buyer got home with the car, the title wasn’t there. He contacted Kelly and asked him about it. Kelly told him he needed time to get the title. The buyer asked for his $500 back but Kelly declined, the report says.
On July 21, 2025, the buyer once again contacted 911 about the incident. The registered owner of the vehicle had learned that Kelly had sold his car and he contacted the buyer. The officer contacted the owner who said that he had let Kelly borrow the car under the condition that Kelly fix the car’s fuel pump. Kelly had been using the car for several months when he decided to sell it. The owner said that several people had approached him on July 20 and told him that Kelly had sold the car.
When questioned, Kelly denied selling the car, stating that the buyer had loaned him $500 and taken the car as collateral, according to the report. In the end, the registered owner got his car back and Kelly was arrested on July 25.
Kelly was charged with theft by deception and theft by conversion. He also had two active warrants.