TOMAHAWK, Ky. — A Martin County man is facing a felony insurance fraud charge, after he allegedly lied to police about his side-by-side being stolen.
A Kentucky State Police trooper was called to the home of Larry Delong, 62, of Tomahawk, on Sunday over the alleged theft. Delong told police he had been gone fishing all weekend and that the vehicle was gone when he came back home. He said he also asked his neighbors if they had seen anything suspicious, but they had told him they were gone all weekend for their child’s wrestling tournament.
Delong also provide photos of the vehicle, showing a black and blue 2021 Kawasaki, which he said was worth about $10,000.
The officer then went to ask neighbors if they had seen anything, only to learn that they had seen Delong at home all weekend, that they had also been home that weekend because wrestling season was over, and that Delong had been riding the black and blue side-by-side for several weeks, but had instead been riding a red-and-orange one.
When police went back to confront Delong about the discrepancies, he allegedly admitted that he lied and said that he had left the side-by-side at an old strip mine, hoping someone would steal it or burn it. He also said he knew he wouldn’t be able to sell it for what it was worth, so he was hoping to turn it in to insurance instead.
Delong has now been charged with insurance fraud over $10,000, a felony punishable by 5-to-10 years in prison, as well as a misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting an incident to police.
