Mercedes Owner Presses Charges After Dealership Employee Bar-Hops in Her Car
A Mercedes owner in Tennessee has taken legal action after discovering that a dealership employee used her luxury vehicle for a night of bar-hopping, leading to criminal charges and a civil lawsuit. Kimberly Porter, who owns a Mercedes C300, had her car towed to Mercedes-Benz of Collierville near Memphis in December after it began idling on the interstate due to what she described as 'bad gas.'
She chose this specific dealership because she 'trusted' it, according to her statements to local news outlet WREG. However, more than a month later, Porter received a startling notification on a Friday night around 7 p.m., alerting her that her car was moving. From 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., she tracked the vehicle as it traveled between various bars, including J Alexander's and TJ Mulligan.
Confrontation and Arrest
'That’s when I got up out of the bed and drove to TJ Mulligan’s in my loaner vehicle, and my car was sitting there,' Porter recounted to WREG. 'At one o’clock in the morning, I’m sitting outside TJ Mulligan’s because he’s outside joyriding on a date with somebody else in my car.' Using her spare key, she confirmed the car was hers and immediately called the police.
Upon investigation, officers found a coat inside the vehicle belonging to Derrick Nguyen, an employee of the dealership, which contained his driver's license and passport. Police entered the bar and emerged with Nguyen in handcuffs. Nguyen allegedly claimed he had permission to drive the car, but a service manager from the dealership contradicted this when contacted by law enforcement.
'He said: "No, he’s not supposed to be in your car," and so I said: "Yes, I would like to press charges," and that’s when they arrested him,' Porter explained. Nguyen was charged with theft of property, and court records noted that he 'had the odor of intoxicating beverages emanating from him,' as reported by WREG.
Dealership's Response and Civil Case
Following the incident, Porter alleged that the dealership called her the next day, demanding she return her loaner vehicle and pick up her own car. 'They literally told me: "If you don’t have our loaner vehicle back here by 6 o’clock, we’ll report it stolen,"' she recalled. Additionally, the dealership reportedly asked her to drop the charges against Nguyen, describing him as 'a really good kid.'
Porter expressed disbelief at this request, stating, 'I said, excuse me?' She further challenged the dealership's explanation that technicians often test-drive vehicles to diagnose problems. 'You do what all the time? You drive people’s cars all the time? You bar hop all the time? Like, it’s not ok,' she told the outlet. 'He wasn’t just test-driving it to see if it was working. He was out over five hours.'
In response to inquiries, the dealership, which still employs Nguyen, told WREG: 'We’re unable to respond because this is an active case. Once the case is settled and we have more details, we will be more than happy to address your concerns.' Porter has since filed a civil case against both Nguyen and the dealership, seeking further accountability for the incident.
