SAN ANTONIO -- James McMichael says he wasn't sure about riding a motorcycle anymore after being without one for more than 10 years, so he bought a scooter instead. Then James lost more than his will to ride. Diabetes robbed him of his vision.
McMichael needed money and didn't need the scooter so he decided to sell it. The scooter had set so long, McMichael had trouble getting it started. He called Chris Olivares, who had worked on the scooter before.
McMichael says Olivares picked up the scooter and took it to his shop.
A few days later Olivares called saying he had gotten it running and offered to sell it for a 10 percent commission. McMichael agreed to the deal and told Olivares he would like to ask $2,200 for the scooter.
A few days after agreeing to the deal, McMichael says his wife told him the scooter was on CraigsList.org. They had several low-ball offers for it, which they refused, but one day Olivares said he believed he had it sold and asked to come by and pick up the title.
He told McMichael he would be back with the cash. Olivares never showed up again.
Several days later, McMichael's wife once again saw the scooter on CraigsList. She called the number and a man named Mario answered. Mario said he had bought the scooter for $1,400 and had a clear title. When the McMichael's told him it was their scooter and asked for a copy of his receipt, Mario hung up and the ad disappeared from CraigsList.
McMichael says when he confronted Olivares about the ad and the scooter, Olivares said he had lost the money and offered to make it up in payments. He refused to explain why he sold it for $800 less than the asking price.
But regardless, Olivares never paid McMichael a dime of the sale price.
We went to Olivares' home and despite hearing them inside, no one would answer the door.
We went by twice and left a card with our number on it, but no one has called. We also contacted the Bexar County District Attorney's Office. They told us they would be very interested in the case. McMichael says he will pursue theft charges against Chris Olivares.
