MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Numerous people who were having their cars repaired at a Middletown body shop are upset and out thousands of dollars after the business abruptly closed, they said.
Bennett’s Body Shop, 440 N. Verity Parkway, closed earlier this month after its owner, Tom Bennett, was evicted for falling months behind on his rent, according to Tim Young, who owns the building.
Young said Bennett, who recently renewed his three-year lease, was late on his rent for several months and when he didn’t pay his December and January rent, Young changed the locks. He then called Steve’s Towing to remove the 13 vehicles in the building and in the parking lot and all the car parts in the body shop.
“It’s unbelievable,” Young told The Journal-News on Wednesday while standing outside his empty 6,000-square-foot building. “I can’t believe this happened.”
Young said several people contacted him about getting their vehicles and parts back after they learned the body shop closed. He sent them to Steve’s Towing in Poasttown to retrieve their vehicles.
Larry Stoneking, 72, of Franklin, was having numerous repairs done to his 1966 Plymouth Valiant. He dropped the classic car off on Nov. 10, 2021 and gave Bennett $2,708 to pay for the parts and partial labor, he said. Every month or so, Stoneking said he contacted Bennett to get an update on his car’s repairs.
Bennett’s excuses ranged from COVID-19 to a worker shortage to the supply chain, Stoneking said.
Then last week, when Stoneking saw one of the garage doors open at Bennett’s Body Shop, he was told by another nearby business owner that all the cars had been towed.
Since then, Stoneking said Bennett has refused to answer his phone or return Facebook messages. He stopped by Bennett’s house in Madison on Wednesday, but no one answered the door.
The Journal-News called Bennett’s cell phone and left messages that weren’t returned. On Friday, Bennett responded to WCPO in a Facebook message.
"Businesses go out of business, that's what is happening here," he wrote.
He added there were other legal issues being worked out and said he would comment further when he's able.
When Stoneking went to the Middletown Division of Police on Wednesday to file a police report, he was told it was a civil matter and he should complete a small claims report.
His car now sits in his driveway as he looks for another body shop to complete the repairs.
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