LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — After months of uncertainty, Amber Rochester’s 2011 Chevy Equinox is lastly again the place it belongs. “It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Rochester stated. “I’m ecstatic.”
Her aid comes after what she describes as a three-month nightmare. In October, Rochester introduced her automobile to Joshawa Vergason at Rick’s Transportable Welding for a fast restore on a good friend’s suggestion. What appeared like a easy repair become a drawn-out ordeal. Simply days after dropping off her automobile, Vergason stopped answering her calls and her automobile sat on a trailer in his lot.
Joshawa Vergason (MDOC)
“After so many attempts contacting him and not hearing back, I started researching who this person was,” Rochester stated. “I found very disturbing information about his criminal activity and record.”
Determined for assist, Rochester took her story to social media. Her submit caught the neighborhood’s consideration, with some sharing related tales about Vergason, others providing encouragement and one mechanic stepping as much as assist.
“I saw it on Facebook, but I also lived close to where the car was,” stated Ryan Goucher, a mechanic at Charlotte Automotive. Although he didn’t know Rochester, Goucher stated he was bored with seeing her automobile sitting in Vergason’s lot in poor situation.
“It looked extremely unsafe,” Goucher stated.
Whereas in Vergason’s possession, Rochester’s automobile sustained harm. Based on Rochester and Goucher, a part of the exhaust system was lacking, her license plate was eliminated, spray paint coated components of the taillight and physique and extra.
After months of economic and emotional stress, Rochester lastly received her automobile again. Goucher went a step additional, repairing it for gratis.
“It restored my faith in the community and my peers,” she stated, overwhelmed with gratitude. “He has been an absolute blessing.”
Michigan State Police confirmed that Vergason was arraigned in Eaton County District Court docket and charged with larceny by conversion.
