Army Veteran Hits RMV Roadblock, Turns To I-Team's Call For Action

BARNSTABLE (CBS) – Army Veteran John Finn loves military jeeps. So when he bought a vintage 1954 Jeep, the Cape Cod man couldn't wait to take it out for a spin.

Finn bought the car back in April, looking for a project to keep him busy during coronavirus quarantine.

"I've been working on it, trying to bring it back to all its military specs. It's just fun to drive," he said.

After all that restoration work, turns out the only place he could drive it was up and down his long gravel driveway in Marstons Mills.

"I was rejected three times at the Registry."

During the first two attempts to register the vehicle, he ran into issues with paperwork. But the third time Finn went to the RMV in Plymouth the clerk had more bad news.

"She said the Jeep was flagged that it was stolen. She didn't tell me when it was stolen, she just gave me a phone number," he explained.

Finn was frustrated and didn't understand the problem. He had titles and sales documents for previous owners dating back to the 1980s. When he tried to call the number he was given at the registry, he got nowhere.

"I didn't know what to do after that, so I called the I-Team. I need some help."

When the I-Team's Call for Action contacted the Registry, a spokesperson agreed to have someone look into Finn's case. As it turns out, researching the title history for military jeeps can be tricky because they don't have traditional VIN numbers. Someone at the RMV was ultimately able to trace the car's full history and determined that it wasn't stolen after all.

A few days after the Registry contacted WBZ with that explanation, Finn's plates arrived in the mail.

"I really did need someone to go to bat for me and Call for Action did. They did it! They did it!" he said laughing, lifting his new license plate in the air.

If you have a consumer issue you need help with, email WBZCallforAction@CBS.com.