State takes over failed dealership probe

CASTLE ROCK – Increasing numbers of Castle Pines Auto Sport customers are claiming they were defrauded and state investigators are taking the lead in handling the case.

Castle Rock Police have collected 40 complaints from customers since the dealership on Park Street suddenly closed two weeks ago.

Customers tell 9NEWS they paid for cars that were never delivered or bought vehicles that Castle Pines Auto Sport did not have a title for.

Castle Rock Police have estimated losses at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Following a meeting Tuesday, Colorado Department of Revenue investigators assumed the lead of what previously was a joint investigation, according to police.

A Department of Revenue spokesperson declined comment Tuesday.

No charges have been filed in the case.

Castle Pines Auto Sport is owned by Castle Pines Auto Sport LLC. Department of Revenue records list Wayne Weaver and Michael Steinke as managers of the LLC.

Weaver, who ran the day-to-day operations at the dealership, has not responded to requests for comment. Police have said they believe he is no longer in the area.

Steinke, better known as the morning radio host Floorwax on 103.5 The Fox, did not have knowledge of any wrongdoing, according to his attorney.

On his radio show, Steinke told listeners that he, like customers, is a victim of the dealership's collapse.

"I wasn't running the joint and didn't know what the hell was going on," he said on-air. "It's pretty confusing."

The dealership was a member of the Better Business Bureau, which suspended the business' account after 9NEWS first reported customers' claims of fraud.

A recent ad for Castle Pines Auto Sport in the publication Douglas County Living claims membership in Tom Martino's Troubleshooter.com Exclusive Referral List.

A producer for Martino says Castle Pines Auto Sport should not have been making that claim, since its membership on the list expired last August for failure to pay dues.

Both Weaver and Steinke received background checks before Castle Pines Auto Sport was included on the referral list, according to the producer.

The radio shows of both Martino and Steinke originate from stations in the Clear Channel Colorado station group.