State v. Watt

SNELL, Judge.

On November 7, 1983, Defendant Donald Joe Watt was charged with first-degree theft. Specifically, the charge in the trial information reads that Watt “did aid and abet another person and/or to take, destroy, conceal or dispose of property in which Des Moines Postal Credit Union ... had a security interest, to wit: 1976 Black Corvette VIN # 173FL6S408370, having a value in excess of $5,000 with the intent to defraud the secured party.”

At trial, the following facts evolved: In August 1983, John Tate, a Highway Patrol garage mechanic, noticed an ad in the Des Moines Sunday paper for…