A Lake County Sheriff’s Police deputy has been arrested, amid allegations that he accepted money to fill out salvage vehicle inspection forms for a Knox business. Louis Vasquez is accused of accepting cash for completing at least 42 of the documents for Fast Import Cars, LLC between September 2017 and November 2018, according to Indiana State Police. Officers say that’s against Lake County Police Department policy and Indiana Code.
In order to qualify as a salvage vehicle, a car must have been built in the last seven model years and damaged more than it was worth. As part of the process of completing an Affidavit of Restoration for a Salvage Motor Vehicle form, a police officer is supposed to certify that they have personally examined the vehicle, major component parts, and ownership documents.
Vasquez has been charged with the Level 5 felony of bribery, along with the Level 6 felonies of official misconduct, theft, and perjury. Meanwhile, the owners and operators of Fast Import Cars, Pavel Rohatinovici and Andrii Lakymenko, have been charged with the Level 6 felony of perjury but were not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.
