Arson investigators: They watched salesman torch cars

06:29 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 24, 2005

By Amy Tortolani / 11 News

Click to watch video

Robbins Autoplex has been around since the 1930s. It is family-owned and operated. The Humble dealership has weathered many storms, but none like the case of veteran employee Tobias Green.

HPD

Tobias Green is accused of arson and insurance fraud.

Green was arrested early Wednesday on charges of burning cars for customers. He is charged with arson and insurance fraud.

"We would never condone anybody doing anything -- id theft, any schemes for insurance companies," said Bill Robbins, President of Robbins Autoplex.

As 11 News first reported, Green allegedly called his scheme the "rotisserie special." Investigators say he'd torch cars for customers, but there was a catch. They had to agree to use the insurance money to buy a new vehicle from him.

"We believe he is approaching everybody, for the most part, who is upside down in their car and has good insurance," said HFD arson investigator Scott Clemants. "If they have good insurance, than he talks to them about his deal in a backroom."

Clemants said they once watched Green in the act.

"The suspect had come into the location with another female and intentionally set a car on fire," Clemants said.

Investigators say the dealership Green worked for over the last 10 years helped them nail the man who was once their star employee.

"I believe that Robbins did keep him on board as a possiblity to help us so they could watch his paperwork and get back to us on what he was offering people," said Clemants.

In fact, Robbins said Green's production had dropped in the last couple of years so they probably would have let him go if not for the investigation.

"But we were asked, I guess, to hopefully hold off and let them do their investigation which we chose to do against our better judgment," said Robbins.

Before joining Robbins, Green was a police officer in Ames and Liberty counties. Investigators believe that experience may have taught him how to make the arson fires look like an accident to fool adjusters.

Since, 11 News first aired the story Tuesday night, investigators say they've received dozens of phone calls about Green.

They point out that arson schemes drive up the cost of insurance for everyone else.