Ames Police have arrested a man they say faked the theft of his pickup truck and tried to cash in on an insurance claim.
Daniel Joseph Nepple, 25, was taken into custody Monday and charged with insurance fraud, a Class D felony, and false reports to police, a serious misdemeanor.
Nepple, who police records indicate lives in Lohrville in Calhoun County, reported early in the morning of Feb. 5 that his 2000 Ford F150 had been stolen from the 100 block of Stanton Avenue in Ames.
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Nepple, who lived in Ames at the time, told police he’d been walking to his truck when he saw it being driven away from where he’d left it parked. He said he chased the vehicle briefly on foot but lost sight of it and returned home and called police.
An officer arrived at Nepple’s apartment to take the report and found him apparently intoxicated with blood on his clothing, according to the police report.
Later that day, the truck was found on State Avenue south of the city by a farmer who said it looked as if it had been driven off the gravel road and rolled onto its side.
After calling police, Nepple made a claim to his insurance company for the theft. When police spoke to insurance company officials, they said Nepple had given varying stories about who he had been with before and after his truck was stolen.
Police identified a witness who said she had picked Nepple up on State Avenue the night of the crash and given him a ride back to his apartment. The witness said Nepple told her he’d wrecked his truck, and that she was to tell police she’d been drinking the night of the crash and couldn’t remember anything, the police report said.
When the insurance company approached Nepple about the discrepancies in his stories, he reportedly asked that his claim be dropped immediately.
Police filed charges against Nepple in November and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for Jan. 4.
Officials with the Story County Jail said Wednesday that Nepple had been released.
