SAN ANTONIO – The owner of a Southtown auto repair shop is accused of taking a customer's money and failing to perform the job he was hired to do.
An arrest affidavit stated a truck driver contacted San Antonio police saying that he had paid 39-year-old Michael Joseph Gonzalez $6,000 in a deal to replace the engine on his big rig, but Gonzalez did not perform any of the work.
He told police he was passing through San Antonio on Nov. 17 when his truck broke down.
He said he found Gonzalez's shop in the Yellow Pages, then had his vehicle towed to the business in the 200 block of Simon Street.
The affidavit stated that the truck driver said Gonzalez advised him that he would need a new engine, then showed him what appeared to be an invoice receipt for that engine from an auto parts business in the amount of $6,002.46.
He said Gonzalez told him it would take 24 hours to complete the repairs.
However, the driver said when he returned to the shop the following day, Gonzalez got angry with him and ordered him to leave, the affidavit stated.
The man said his truck engine was never replaced and that Gonzalez has refused to return his money, the affidavit stated.
He told police that he later visited the auto parts business and found out that the document that Gonzalez showed him was only an estimate, and not a receipt.
Police arrested Gonzalez Tuesday on a charge of theft.