Police: Suspect received $120K for unfinished car restoration

A Schriever man has been charged with exploitation of the infirmed in Morgan City after allegedly receiving over $120,000 for work to restore a 1957 Chevy Bel Air car that he never completed, a Morgan City police news release said.

Keith Pope, 59, of Brier Street in Schriever, was arrested at 8:09 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of exploitation of the infirmed.

Pope was located and arrested at the Terrebonne Parish Detention Center on an active arrest warrant held by the Morgan City police. The warrant stems from an investigation conducted in a collaborative effort with the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office Detectives Division that began Feb. 16. During the investigation, Pope was identified as allegedly negotiating the restoration of a 1957 Chevy Bel Air with the aged victim in Morgan City.

The car was transported to a shop in the Schriever area owned by Pope where the work was to take place. Pope allegedly received payments from the victim of over $120,000 for the work on the vehicle that was never completed. Police found evidence linking Pope to the crime, the release said.

The investigation continued when warrants were prepared for Pope's arrest. In the collaborative effort, a search warrant was executed on Pope's shop where evidence was secured for forensic review. The investigation is still ongoing. Pope was jailed with bail set at $40,000.