PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local man accused of pretending to be a war hero to take advantage of classic car owners has been arrested in California after his boss there read a KOIN 6 News article.
KOIN 6 first investigated Josh Evans in 2016 and spoke to eight people (mostly veterans) who said Evans had ripped them off and cost them a combined loss of more than $85,000. Clark County prosecuted one of the cases and Evans spent four months in jail after pleading guilty to theft.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office continued investigating and prosecutors charged Evans with theft in two more cases last year. He was supposed to go to trial in October but didn’t show up. Clark County issued two new warrants for his arrest.
Jump ahead to early March of 2020 when David Dwyhalo hired Evans to work at his shop — Backalley Restoration — in Ventura County, California. It took just three days before Dwyhalo became suspicious of his new employee.
“He did too much talking and something just rubbed wrong,” Dwyhalo said.
So he started doing a little digging into Evans’ work history and military record.
“It’s clear he’s been around the business for a while and I actually questioned that because he started with his military history — 13 years in the military and he went to West Point, jump school and special forces — and I went, ‘Okay, where did you get the time to get the automotive experience?'”
Dwyhalo searched the internet and found past KOIN 6 stories about his new employee. He called the police and Evans was arrested at the shop Sunday, March 8.
“On your website, you said he had two open warrants and, evidently, quite a few civil judgments against him and that kind of rubbed me wrong,” said Dwyhalo. “And it really rubbed me wrong when he represented himself as a vet.”
Evans appeared in court in Ventura County on Tuesday morning. He’s scheduled back in court on April 1. When he returns to Clark County, prosecutors say he’ll face charges in a third case.
