Police investigating Knoxville auto shop that customers say held cars for months or years
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville Police are investigating an auto repair owner who has taken thousands of dollars from customers but never finished doing the work. Investigators found more than a dozen cars inside the shop in various stages of repair.
A few customers said the operator at Affordable Automotive Repair demanded full payment in advance. Others said, after getting tired of waiting for the work to be done, and, only hearing excuses, the shop operator refused to hand over the keys when they tried to pick up their vehicles. Jason Beeler is the owner and sole operator of the business. In mid-March, he was charged with three felonies unrelated to his auto shop.
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The doors to Affordable Automotive Repair in East Knoxville have been padlocked for more than a week because the man who runs the repair shop was behind on his rent.
'Supposedly he's got the engine back in it, but I haven't seen it. He doesn't let you in the shop,' said Len Nymeyer.
Nymeyer hasn't seen his 1964 Ford Thunderbird since January after paying $8,000 for repairs.
'I'm hoping it is in the building, but I don't know,' said Nymeyer.
John Kohlman wanted a new front end on his 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible.
'He said it would take about about two weeks to get it finished,' explained Kohlman, who hasn't seen his car in five months.
Kevin Villatoro is hoping his 2002 Honda sports car is still inside the shop.
'I gave him $10,000. I have the receipts and everything: February 22 of 2024. So it's been over a year,' said Villatoro.
Heather Tucker has a different story. She had to hire an attorney to sue Beeler, forcing him to return her 2015 Subaru after paying $8,000 for a refurbished transmission nearly a year ago. She says Beeler held the car hostage for months.
'I came unannounced. I was going to get it towed. He told me no, he refused,' said Tucker.
Armed with a search warrant, Knoxville Police had the building manager unlock the doors. Investigators wanted to see inside the shop. Based on information they received from customers, officers didn't know if the cars would be inside but, they were. Police spent nearly two hours taking an inventory of the vehicles.
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Documentation of each car found inside the garage will be part of their investigation.
Detectives first must determine if there is enough evidence before charges are made. Did Jason Beeler start the jobs, but never finish them after he had been paid in advance by his customers?
More than a dozen cars were found inside the shop. Kohlman's 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix was there for that front-end repair. For some reason, however, the engine had been removed. The '64 T-Bird belonging to Nymeyer was inside. His car's engine had not been touched. Erasto Abalos has been waiting two years to have the engine in his 1956 Ford rebuilt. He kept asking Beeler when could he pick it up.
'He kept saying it would be ready in two weeks,' said Abalos.
Beeler's customers were asked to show up around two hours after investigators had completed their inventory. Most people were pleased to see their cars back in one piece. After Abalos' 56 Ford was rolled out, he was happy to have it back but upset to see that the engine was missing. It was found inside the garage, in pieces.
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Dennis Beal wasn't sure whether there would be an engine in his 1962 Ford until he lifted the hood. He paid Beeler $7,200, 21 months ago for an engine rebuild. He found the motor untouched.
Knoxville detectives are expected to complete their investigation into Beeler's car shop soon. The results will determine what charges, if any, he could be facing. Beeler remains in Knox County Jail on three felony charges that are unrelated to his auto repair business.
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