Robert Salama is a Cybertruck owner from Santa Maria, California, and says he caught the guy who recently keyed his Cybertruck by looking through the local sex offenders registry.
Now, the 72-year-old vandal is in jail, and the District Attorney has contacted Robert to ask whether he’d be willing to make a deal.
The DA is looking to see whether Robert will be okay with reduced charges from a felony to a misdemeanor if the perpetrator agrees to pay the $4,070 bill to repair the Cybertruck.
Rewinding back a little, this whole ordeal started 5 days ago when Robert captured a video of an older white man with distinctive gray hair and a gray beard keying his Cybertruck.
Robert caught a video of the man in the middle of the act through the Cybertruck’s built-in dashcam. However, by the time Robert returned to his Cybertruck, the perpetrator was long gone.
Not deterred, the Cybertruck owner took the footage and reported the incident to the police. In addition, Robert posted the video on his local neighborhood watch.
Lo and behold, the following day, a woman from the neighborhood watch texted Robert the profile of a man from the local sex offenders registry that she felt looked similar to the guy keying the Cybertruck.
The registry included the older man's picture, age, exact address, and physical features, including weight and height.
Using this information, Robert went to the old man’s house. He independently confirmed that it was the same person and called the police to inform them that he had found the guy.
Surprisingly, Robert was able to find the person who keyed his Cybertruck before the police could catch the guy.
Following the incident, Robert writes…
“Hi everyone,
Someone keyed my Cybertruck at the Santa Maria Costco parking lot, and he turned out to be a sex offender with a history of crimes against minors; thanks to some locals, we turned him in, and he’s in jail now.”
Below his post, Robert shared a video taken from his Cybertruck’s Sentry camera. The video shows an older man with a gray beard and grey hair wearing a green T-shirt and blue jeans approaching the Cybertruck.
Then, the old man takes out his keys and scratches the Cybertruck, starting from the bed and going all the way to the front door.
After the incident, Robert also shares several pictures of the damage. The Cybertruck owner says the truck’s stainless steel is fine, but the green wrap he put over it has been damaged on “the whole left side of the Cybertruck.”
Continuing, Robert details how he was able to catch the perpetrator before the cops, writing…
“I posted on the local neighborhood watch, and the following day, a lady messaged me back with information on a guy she thought looked like him. I went to the address, and I found the guy.
After the incident, I had already reported it to the police department. The next morning, after I went to his house, I called the police and told them I had found the guy. They were surprised and asked me how I found the guy.”
Together with all this information, Robert also shared a screenshot from the local sex offenders registry showing all the details of a guy who he claims is the same person who keyed his Cybertruck.
Fast forward a few days, and now Robert has given us an update on what’s happening after the police arrested the older man.
Robert writes…
“Hi everyone,
Update on my last post,
“I got a call from the D.A. office, and they asked me if they could do a deal with the sex offender to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor instead of a felony if he agrees to pay me for the damages, which is $4079.00 to fix my Cybertruck.
What do you think I should do?”
In the comments, fellow Cybertruck owners were outraged by the old man's actions and suggested Robert should refuse the deal and let the perpetrator go to jail.
A fellow Cybertruck owner, David Powers, writes…
"Insurance Comprehensive will pay for vandalism. I'm sure your Comprehensive deductible isn't more than $500. Pay the $500 and put him away "
Another Cybertruck owner, Mark R. Greul, takes it up a notch and says the whole incident should be treated as a hate crime against Elon Musk.
Mark writes…
“Looks like the old guy was intent, going particularly out of his way to cause damage to the Cybertruck. Moreover, this constitutes a hate crime being fueled by the anti-Elon media, which arguably shares culpability. Absent excellent circumstances, the video evidence is clear: do the crime—do the time and demand restitution.”
That’s certainly an interesting take. Please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
Image: Screenshot from Marques Brownlee’s YouTube channel
For more information, check out: Tesla is Preparing to Launch the Base Mode RWD Cybertruck – $61,000 and Removes Powered Tonneau Cover & Bed Outlets
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
Comments
He is 72 years old and when…
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He is 72 years old and when he gets out because he made a mistake. It might come back and bite you again and it might not be just your truck. Not much to live for when you get out of jail except to get back at the person who put him there. Forgiveness is a compassion thing to do. The D.A. offer you a deal, I would take it and be done with it or wait and see. Keep looking over your shoulder.
Absolutely NOT, what are you…
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In reply to He is 72 years old and when… by Dan (not verified)
Absolutely NOT, what are you even talking about !?LOL You sound ridiculous for suggesting this man should let someone like this off the hook, out of fear of the criminal breaking more laws.
Forgiveness along with…
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In reply to He is 72 years old and when… by Dan (not verified)
Forgiveness along with Making Amends and this means Paying for the Damage a person caused. And I'm not one much for Forgiving someone of his age, He should know better and could Use the Painful Lesson. Giving this man a break at his age does no one any favors, least not the elderly man.
Forgiveness along with…
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In reply to He is 72 years old and when… by Dan (not verified)
Forgiveness along with Making Amends and this means Paying for the Damage a person caused. And I'm not one much for Forgiving someone of his age, He should know better and could Use the Painful Lesson. Giving this man a break at his age does no one any favors, least not the elderly man.
This didn't happen. DA's don…
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This didn't happen. DA's don't consult with victims on what charges they file, or what deals they make. Vandalism/criminal mischief is a ticket in most places unless there is structural damage or damage that disables function. Cosmetic damage won't land anyone in prison and DA's have no role in recoupment of damages, that's civil. This is some crazy right-wing Musk shilling victimization porn.
I agree. This absolutely don…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
I agree. This absolutely don't happen. I can't think of any situation where keying a car would be a felony, and the DA would never check with a victim on sentencing.
While I agree that this…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
While I agree that this never happened, this in Nazi Germany type crap. A hate crime against Elon Musk? That's not far from making it a felony to protest or act against our billionaire oligarchs or the politicians they own.
I was a victim of a crime…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
I was a victim of a crime once, and the kid who committed the felony was in a similar situation.
I got a call from the DA and I went down and met the shooter, and I agreed that if the kid paid restitution, he could be released from jail and have the case dropped to a misdemeanor.
So, your claim is false. I went through almost this exact scenario myself and I'm actually in contact intermittently with the kid and his father... to this day.
I can't speak to anyone else's experience, but i know what happened in my case.
Haters gotta hate. TESLA…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
Haters gotta hate. TESLA owners sat by while Trump dodged accountability for insurrection, election meddling and security violations he blatantly attempted to cover up, but now want blood from another sexual offender in their midsts... GOP = Hypocrisy
Attorney here - yep, the DA…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
Attorney here - yep, the DA is not waiting on a vandalism victim's say-so to make any kind of plea deal. He didn't commit a serious crime and should not face jail time.
Cybertrucks are so ugly, I think their very existence is a criminal assault on my aesthetic senses. Let this man go and key as many cybertrucks as his keys can manage!
Yes, DAs most definitely…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
Yes, DAs most definitely contact victims of property crimes. You have no clue what you're talking about. Property crime laws are different state by state and even you could Google damage over a certain amount is MOST absolutely a Felony. Learn to know what you're talking about B4 spouting off your Ideology.
Thats simply not true. DA…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
Thats simply not true. DA do consult with victims.
Nah it's got a 100x Hate…
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In reply to This didn't happen. DA's don… by Charles (not verified)
Nah it's got a 100x Hate Multiplier tagged on, he's a protected class after today, a racist idiot with too much money.
Find this story difficult to…
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Find this story difficult to believe. The actions of the DA in this story just do not line up with his jurisdiction or practice of law. The DA determines the level of charges -- felony or misdemeanor - not the victim !
Since when did Torque turn…
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Since when did Torque turn into a Dear Abby column. You alright, sweetheart?
This man will not learn to…
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This man will not learn to behave unless he pays out of his own pocket as the consequences of his actions. Social security (SSI) is not garnishable though, so consider that. If he has any savings or investments, you can go after that. If he has a pension, it is garnishable. You can also attach a lien to any property he has. He may not sell it in his lifetime, but his heir(s) will. If he doesn't have any heir, probate court will pay you out of his estate. You can repair the paint job yourself through your insurance, but if the court attaches a judgment against him for $4,000+ you'll get your money out of him. At the very least, it's a short term savings account for the most part while you're waiting on him to die.
Even 72 year old sex…
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Even 72 year old sex offenders think cybertrucks and their owners are lame.
What does being on a sex…
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What does being on a sex offender registry have to do with keying the cyber truck?
It's not just the damage, it…
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It's not just the damage, it's also the time it takes to deal with the repairs and hassling with the insurance company. It's also obvious that older man has unresolved mental and or personality issues and should be put away on the more serious charge. The longer he is kept away from the community, the safer the community will be.
Midtier reddit fanfaction. I…
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Midtier reddit fanfaction. I guess I could see how someone might believe this, but if you do you might wanna get tested for developmental disabilities.