Former Legacy Auto executive's trial set for September

Regional News

Legacy cars taken from car lot in Utah.

A September 8th trial date has been set for a former Legacy Auto executive charged regarding the disappearance of over 80 cars from the Scottsbluff dealership's lot this past March.

Rick Covello, the dealership's former general manager, entered a not guilty plea this past Monday to 86 felony counts, ten counts of theft and 76 counts of attempted theft. The plea was taken after a motion challenging his bind over to district court was denied by Scotts Bluff County District Court Judge Randy Lippstreu.

Covello had originally been charged with an additional 80 counts of illegal titling of cars but those counts were dropped when deputy County Attorney John Childress said Covello "was not involved" with that activity. During the preliminary hearing, County Judge James Worden said Covello's activity in the planning of the removal of the cars "was significantly different" than in the cases against the other two executives Rachel Fait and Allen Patch, who face the same charges plus the illegal titling counts. But he did say the testimony provided by Scottsbluff Police detectives Mark Overman and Bob Rader showed Covello assisted with "moving the cars" so they could be transported to auction houses in Utah and Nevada and in communicating with the Utah car dealers about the sale of the cars. Covello's attorney Stacy Nossaman Petitt maintains no evidence has been shown that her client committed any wrongdoing or was going to financially benefit from the sale of the cars.

Covello is free on bond.