The shop owner said the collision repair job was bigger than he anticipated, but has not returned the truck to its owner.
An auto shop in Jones, OK, has seemingly disappeared after an Oklahoma City man said he dropped his car off there more than a year and a half ago to get it repaired.
Micah Jones was told it would take 90 days to fix his truck, but he still doesn’t have it.
Jones said he dropped off his truck at Jones Auto on Hiwassee and E. Britton roads in March 2022. He said he has been given the runaround for the last year and a half on when his truck would be fixed.
He finally had enough and decided to talk in person, but when he showed up to the auto shop, no one was there. There are no signs, no cars and no employees.
“The whole story doesn’t really line up,” Jones said.
It was last year when Jones was driving and slipped on ice, crashing into a tree.
Jones Auto agreed to fix the truck. Jones paid the owner of Jones Auto, Kirby Gallagher, $3,000 up front and was told it would take 90 days to fix. But Jones hasn’t seen his car since March 4, 2022.
“People have been very generous. I think I’ve borrowed seven different cars or something like that. So, I’m very thankful for the people who have just allowed me to borrow here and there,” said Jones.
A year and a half later, there’s been no sign of the truck, but also no sign of the auto shop. Jones told KFOR he has no idea where his truck could be.
Jones said he’s been given excuse after excuse why his truck has not been fixed. Also, text messages between the two show Gallagher’s communication has been inconsistent.
KFOR reached out to Gallagher to see what the hold up is. He told the news outlet he is busy with other jobs and feels he took on a bigger job than he expected.
“We took out more than we could, and I had some employees hired that I thought were better than they were, and they weren’t. And, you know, there’s no excuses. It kind of sucks… I made several promises. And based on the actions of other people, to made me look like a fool… It’s just a stupid mistake,” said Gallagher.
Gallagher said they tried but failed to fix the truck. He is taking full responsibility as to why it has taken so long.
“Sometimes it’s not as bad as they look when they’re all crunched up. And I’ve picked a lot of cars that looked worse. I thought, the worst that can happen is we can’t fix it… My guys took it apart. We took it to the frame shop. He tried to pull on it and said, I don’t know. And then we pulled back the shop and was going to try to find another donor car, you know, for the inner frame rails and stuff… I just couldn’t find anything… And then I got busy with a bunch of other jobs and kept getting on the back burner,” said Gallagher.
As to why Jones Auto is gone, Gallagher said, “The shop’s closed down. The rent is too high for that location.”
Jones just wants some sort of resolution.
“We’re not supposed to walk around with bitterness, so I’m doing what I can to forgive him. I’m asking for help for forgiveness to forgive him, because I know he’s done me wrong,” said Jones.
Kirby told KFOR, “I want to make it right.”
Jones said he filed police reports with the Jones and Oklahoma City police departments. He also filed a small claims lawsuit in October 2023. That hearing will be in November.
Gallagher told KFOR he will make things right before that and take care of everything. KFOR asked him where the truck is, and he said it is at a mechanic shop in Jones, but did not give the location so the reporter could take a look.
