Glenn Fournier charged with felony car theft

After Andre Linwood noticed his car had disappeared from Fournier’s Metric Wrench lot, the car was found crushed beyond repair at Blue Sky Steel salvage yard with Fournier listed as the person who sold it to the yard.

The car had been at Fournier’s business in downtown Billings since around December 2022 because the business couldn’t find a part for it, according to a statement from Linwood to police in charging documents.

Linwood had given Fournier $2,000 upfront, to pay for parts. Around April, he called Fournier, who told him he still had $800 of that sum.

Linwood reported the vehicle missing on Dec. 11, 2023, after driving by Fournier’s shop a week earlier and noticing that his car was no longer at the business.

Linwood said that Fournier told him that he had moved the car onto the street because the lot was full. He said Fournier told him he didn’t know what happened after that and suggested that it could have been towed by the city, though there was no record of this having happened.

In a statement to police, Fournier said that Linwood had built up over $5,000 in storage fees. He said that he had been trying to contact Linwood to tell him that he was going to have to move the vehicle, but that he could not get in contact with him.

Linwood has obtained phone records from the past year, which he says prove that he had been in contact with Fournier.

Fournier told police he considered the vehicle abandoned and that he parked it legally near the intersection of North Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue North. He said again that he did not know what happened next and once again suggested it could have been towed by the city.

Linwood didn’t buy the story and took a day off work to go to salvage yards around Billings.

On Dec. 28, 2023, Linwood reported to the police that he found his vehicle — with a matching VIN — at Big Sky Steel, crushed beyond repair.

A payment receipt obtained from Big Sky Steel, dated Dec. 6 listed the seller of the car as Metric Wrench/Glenn Fournier. Documents related to the sale included the business’s address and phone number, as well as a copy of Fournier’s driver’s license, which he provided when he sold the car to the business.

Fournier received $175 for the vehicle, according to the receipt.

Fournier is set to appear in court Feb. 13. If convicted, he could be fined up to $50,000 or be imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both.

Linwood also intends to seek damages in civil court.

Fournier recently moved his business to the Heights after being downtown for 50 years. He said he was forced out by crime in the area around the sixth Avenue North and 25^th street business.

He said his business had been frequently vandalized and he had been assaulted by people coming into the garage. Toward the end of his stay downtown he said he had started wearing a gun and a bulletproof vest.