Arrest warrant issued for NASCAR’s Jordan Anderson on stolen car charge (Update)
The news was first reported by WBTV’s David Whisenant on Twitter.
An arrest warrant was issued last week in Rowan County for Anderson regarding a race truck that he purchased from Robert Newling, who owns a repair shop and had been hired to repair the truck following a crash at Texas Motor Speedway.
According to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the truck actually belonged to another NASCAR competitor, Mike Harmon. Instead of returning the truck to Harmon, Newling reportedly sold it to Anderson.
Newling was later arrested and charged with larceny of a motor vehicle. Anderson reportedly had agreed to turn himself in to police on Sept. 20, but did not appear. That led to a warrant being issued for his arrest.
In a statement released Tuesday, Anderson said the truck in question has been delivered to the Rowan County Sheriffs Office and the charges against him have been dropped.
“In respect to the news that was published last week, I wanted to thank you all for your understanding in light of the situation, and continued support of my character," Anderson said. “We have been cooperating with the investigation through counsel since I was notified about there being a potential warrant for my arrest while we were racing in Las Vegas.
“My attorney has stayed in constant contact with the Rowan County District Attourney handling the case to reach a resolution, which has resulted in charges being dropped and a voluntary dismissal being filed earlier this morning without the need of a formal arrest. The race truck in question was delivered earlier this week to a location desired by the Rowan County Sheriffs Department. I continue to maintain my innocence in this matter, and the fact that I bought the race truck in good faith with a bill of sale, unbeknown of its history.
“This has been quite a humbling lesson in being a new team owner, and the importance of discerning who you do business with. I take great honor in representing to the best of my ability my fans, partners, and family; and am grateful for your grace, support, and prayers through this all."
09/27/18 An arrest warrant has been issued for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Jordan Anderson after he failed to surrender to authorities on charges of possession of a stolen race truck.
NBC Sports reported that Anderson is alleged to have purchased the vehicle from a Mooresville, N.C., garage run by Robert Newling, who had repaired the truck after a racing accident in November 2017.
"Robert Newling then took it upon himself to sell the Race truck, that did not belong to him, and sold it to Jordan Anderson," a Rowan County Sheriff’s office press release said. "During the course of this investigation, investigators were able to determine that Mr. Anderson had reason to believe the truck he purchased from Mr. Newling was stolen."
NASCAR issued a statement on the matter that said: "We are aware of a law enforcement matter involving a NASCAR member, and continue to gather facts. We will remain in contact with the authorities as their process continues."
The criminal investigation began on Sept. 7 and Anderson refused to hand over the truck when contacted by authorities. Instead, he retained legal counsel and was supposed to turn himself in by Sept. 20. He has yet to do so.
The whereabouts of the 27-year-old are unknown, but he was apparently active on Twitter as late as Thursday morning. Anderson finished 20th in the most recent truck race on Sept. 14 and is currently 16th in the season standings.
Newling has been arrested and charged with larceny and is scheduled to appear in court again in November.