Prineville, Ore. – Mike Smetzer, the owner of the now-defunct Central Oregon Motors, was arrested Wednesday, July 2nd, by the Crook County Sheriff’s Office following a grand jury indictment that returned on June 27th, according to court records.
Smetzer now faces charges on 35 counts, 27 of which are felony charges under Oregon law. The charges include seven counts of forgery in the first degree, ten counts of aggravated identity theft, eight counts of aggravated theft in the first degree, and eight counts of unlawful consignment practices (which are misdemeanors). His bail has been set at $500,000.
The arrest follows an approximately 9-month investigation that included local and federal law enforcement. The investigations started after several alleged victims reached out to the Prineville Review with allegations against Smetzer and his Prineville-based dealership. That prompted a multimonth investigation by this publication into the allegations.
Initial victims had also made allegations that officers with the Prineville Police Department had initially told victims that it was merely a “civil issue”, allegations the Prineville Police would not comment on when contacted by this publication last year.
The Prineville Review initially broke the story in October 2024 after being contacted by victims who claimed Smetzer had sold their vehicles on consignment and never paid them, along with other claims. Victim statements and records obtained by the Prineville Review showed that multiple individuals and businesses—including major automotive lenders—were pursuing legal action, alleging widespread financial fraud.
More alleged victims also began coming forward to both the Prineville Review and KTVZ News following the initial wave of reporting last fall.
According to court records, some of the charges included allegations dating back to July 2023.
Our subsequent reporting last winter also revealed that the Prineville Police and Oregon DMV were investigating, and later, the FBI had taken an interest in the case. While officials with the Prineville Police Department and the Crook County District Attorney’s Office said that the case had been referred to the FBI in December, the FBI would not confirm the existence of an investigation and referred alleged victims back to local authorities in its response to our request for comment.
Victims interviewed by the Prineville Review described a consistent pattern: consigned vehicles were sold without proper payment, titles were never transferred—or were transferred using forged documents—and customers were left either without their vehicles or without the money owed to them or both. One case involved the apparent misuse of a vehicle owned by a family trust. Multiple creditors also filed civil lawsuits against Smetzer and his purported business partner, Shane Mayfield, with total combined claims of $1.3 million.
Although a veteran himself, Smetzer’s victims included multiple military veterans from Central Oregon.
There has been no indication that Mayfield, who runs Redmond-based Perfection Auto Salon, has faced any charges at this time. The Prineville Review had previously uncovered that Mayfield was operating Central Oregon Car Shows without proper business registration, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s records.
Despite claims, Smetzer was not involved with Central Oregon Car Shows, social media postings repeatedly purported Smetzer as an official with the company and its shows.
Mayfield had told the Prineville Review that he had made private loans to Smetzer years ago, but never had a role in Smetzer’s Central Oregon Motors. However, Mayfield’s claims were questioned by State records that showed Mayfield listed as a previous manager of Central Oregon Motors, as well as loans to the business that he cosigned. Mayfield declined to answer why he would have cosigned on loans from other creditors.
Despite Central Oregon Motors closing its doors amid the allegations, the criminal investigation had quietly continued behind the scenes. The grand jury indictment suggests law enforcement ultimately found probable cause to support a sweeping criminal case against Smetzer for conduct dating back more than a year.
As of publication, local law enforcement has not released further details, and it remains unclear whether federal agencies continue to be involved. We’ve reached out to Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn and Prineville Police for comment.
We will keep you updated as this story develops. Join the Discussion on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter).
