Bobby Ephrem: Accused of turning car repair scam into blowtorch-wielding robbery

WANTED IN SEATTLE --
Bobby Ephrem, who also goes by Bobby Mason, Jr. already has a felony no bail warrant for his arrest in Oregon where he is accused of bilking an elderly man out of $260,000.

Now, Seattle detectives say Ephrem was driving the white truck pictured above and had a woman with him when he pulled up alongside another driver at the Roosevelt Square shopping center at NE 65th St. and 12th Ave. NE. Police say Ephrem told the victim he could give him an estimate for a dent in his car. The victim declined, but Ephrem insisted according to police and even pulled out a blowtorch and started working on the vehicle. "Finally the victim says, ‘no, no, no, I don't want my car fixed. I just want out of here’ and at that point is where it turns into a robbery,” says Ret. Det. Myrle Carner with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. “He took the blowtorch which was lit and said, ‘we're gonna settle this one way or another’ and at that point the victim, fearing for his safety backed off." But, detectives say Ephrem then forced the victim to go to a nearby ATM and withdraw $200 hundred dollars from it, then demanded he give him more so the victim pulled $35 dollars out of his pocket, because he felt his life was in danger.

If you can tell police where to find him, call an anonymous tip into:
CRIME STOPPERS: 1-800-222-TIPS

You must call the Crime Stoppers hotline with your tip to be eligible to receive a cash reward for information leading to a fugitive’s arrest.