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A grand jury charged Kory Woodside with theft of a 1983 Buick Regal after he allegedly botched a restoration project on it. -
Another customer alleges that Woodside muffed the restoration of his grandfather-bequeathed 1963 Plymouth Valiant, pictured here, in September 2022.
As a local classic car mechanic grinds through court appearances to hammer out a restitution deal to repay nearly $26,000, more Southeast Texans have complained about further alleged thefts of service.
Kory Woodside, 42, of Beaumont, appeared Jan. 9 in Judge Raquel West’s courtroom, where his attorney Bruce Smith revealed his client couldn’t afford a lump sum payment demanded by the complaining witness.
“The problem is the payment of the restitution,” said Smith. “My client can’t come up with a lump sum, but he can make payments per month. (The prosecutor) has to talk to the complaining witness.”
“Obviously, it’s up to the complainant if they want to agree to something,” West said.
Judge West worried that the statute of limitations for Woodside’s state jail felony might expire before he’s able to repay the $25,000.
Prosecutors say they’re negotiating with the complaining witness, and Judge West reset Woodside’s case to Jan. 23.
Mired by a muffed project
The charge stems from an allegedly botched restoration project, where Woodside reportedly stole a 1983 Buick Regal.
According to the indictment dated March 2022, on Sept. 16, 2021, the complainant told Beaumont Police Department (BPD) Detective Tina Lewallen that Woodside – his mechanic – stole his ivory 1983 Buick Regal after allegedly muffing the project multiple times.
“(The victim) was having this vehicle restored, inside and out,” Lewallen wrote. “He provided me with receipts adding up to $25,525.
The receipts documented the work supposed to have been performed on the car. His receipts for payment started in August of 2019. Emails show the vehicle was expected to be completed around Christmas 2019.
“His final payment was April 2020, and he still did not have his car completed.”
After picking up the uncompleted project vehicle, the victim advised the air compressor had a leak, so the AC was not working correctly. He left with plans to return once Woodside received a parts shipment.
With that repair work supposedly completed, the affidavit details, the victim drove the car to Humble.
“When he shut the door, the window shattered,” the detective wrote. “The next morning he was taking his car to get the window repaired and a belt broke off the motor. This was supposed to be a new motor put in the car.”
After once again “fixing” the issues, the victim drove away – only to discover more of the same.
“When (he) drove the car, he realized the AC was not working when the car was not in motion,” Lewallen wrote. “He said the belts were squealing, and the new transmission was slipping. (He) called Woodside and advised he was not paying for another tow, due to the issues with the car (being) items he just replaced.”
After approximately two months of the victim not having his car repaired after his third visit, the man entered the business “very upset,” with Lewallen reporting, “Woodside told him, ‘What do you want me to do, pull the other cars down?’ (The victim) stated he said, ‘Yes, mine is paid for.’ He left without his car.”
Three days later, Woodside sent an email to the victim telling him his car was parked on the street with keys in the seat. The mechanic told the man to pick up the car that day or else he would have it towed. Woodside followed by informing his unsatisfied customer that if he stepped foot on his property, “(the victim) would go to jail.”
Woodside subsequently placing a mechanics lein on the car resulted in a felony theft charge.
A checkered past
Since The Examiner first reported Woodside’s crime in 2022, new allegations of theft have been presented by those who sought his work, as well as worked with him.
“I worked for this sorry (piece of s----) several years ago and when the payday came the check bounced,” revealed Orange resident Will Scott Jr. “He’s always been a (piece of s----) crook.”
“He owes me thousands of dollars on a personal loan from 2015,” complained Beaumonter Lisa David. “Excuse after excuse. And he never fixed my car right, either. Looks like I’ll be next in line for a lawsuit, but (I) doubt I get anything.”
Vidorian David Froisness says he paid Woodside $7,625 to restore his grandfather’s old 1963 Plymouth Valiant, but the car returned to him in worse condition than he left it.
“I was given a 1963 Plymouth Valiant, by my grandpa,” Froisness recalled. “I decided to have it restored as a tribute to him and my grandmother. I took the car to Vintage Autoworks. The owner talked a great game. He charged me $1,500 for an inspection of the car. He called and let us know $12,000 total. We were OK with that. (He) then took a deposit of $6,000, and the receipt says ‘parts deposit.’ He called 30 hours later and said it needed a new motor, for an additional $4,200.”
Wanting to find out more about the evolving situation, harboring suspicions they were being scammed, Froisness and his wife went to Woodside’s shop. The mechanic became upset at the line of questioning, as Froisness recalled, before he started yelling and told them to “Get the f--- out” of his shop.
“At this point, we wanted to take the car, but he refused,” Froisness revealed. “He texted later that day to let us know it was an additional $125 to get the car back.”
Fast forward to Sept. 19, 2022, when Froisness, with Beaumont police and a wrecker in tow, went to Vintage Autoworks to retrieve his property.
“The bottom line is he charged $7,625 to remove the engine, transmission and such and loosely put the engine back in the engine bay,” Froisness complained. “Beware of this company. All I got for this amount is a car with loose parts not running and missing parts. Did I mention that it was running and driving when he received it?”