STORM LAKE, Iowa — Former Storm Lake auto dealer Dan Winchell, 64, has been arrested on multiple felony charges linked to the collapse of Holzhauer dealerships, authorities confirmed Monday.
Winchell was booked into the Cherokee County Jail and faces two counts of ongoing criminal conduct and four counts of first-degree theft. The Iowa Department of Transportation filed identical charges in both Buena Vista and Cherokee counties, alleging that Winchell withheld title and registration fees and sold vehicles without repaying bank loans.
Investigators say that last summer, Winchell kept tax, title, and registration payments from customers instead of forwarding them to county treasurers, forcing some customers to pay fees twice. In addition, he allegedly sold vehicles “out of trust,” keeping proceeds instead of repaying loans from Citizens First National Bank of Storm Lake and other lenders. Court records indicate Holzhauer dealerships sold at least 80 vehicles without reimbursing Citizens, which later won a civil judgment against Winchell in Cherokee County District Court.
Holzhauer Motors, Holzhauer Ford Cherokee, and Holzhauer Ford Storm Lake closed last fall amid lawsuits over more than $15 million in unpaid loans. Creditors liquidated the dealerships through bankruptcy, and Citizens secured additional judgments against Winchell and Holzhauer corporate entities.
A preliminary hearing in the criminal cases has not yet been scheduled. Winchell has appealed one civil judgment through his attorney, Michael Kuehner of Des Moines. No attorney has entered an appearance for him in the DOT’s criminal cases.
