My name is Corran Hall, I’m a nature enthusiast with a focus on Insects .

I think this story starts in 2018. I was 18 years old attending DMACC college living in a 2 bedroom apartment. My roomate owned a 1973 Ford Bronco and I absolutely loved it. I then looked into other vehicles in the same category and I found the 1969 Scout 800. I absolutely loved the whole essence of the vehicle. It was something I couldn’t see myself without and it installed an image in my head of what I could be. I pictured a hardworking off-road nature enthusiast who focused on saving the environment and discovering insects.

I was working at Home Depot at the time and I knew that wasn’t going to be enough so I also applied to work at College Hunks Moving company. I was promoted to a manager within a week and started working 40 hours every single week absolutely exhausting myself in the hopes of maybe one day owning a Scout 800. Picking up every possible shift, saving my money and spending almost none of it because I had a dream that I would have this truck. After years of saving I had enough money to buy this yellow 1969 international scout.

It was August 1st 2021 and I had finally reached the threshold on bargaining power. I had saved up $16,000 and I messaged someone in Arizona who had a fully restored Scout listed for $21,000. After a couple of days of negotiations I had then agreed to purchase the truck for $16,000. I gathered my best friends Nick, Akash and Will and we planned a road trip from Des Moines, Iowa to Mesa, Arizona. August 8th we arrived in Arizona with a rented Dodge 2500 truck and towed as a team towed it back to Iowa and officially August 9th my 21st birthday I owned my dream truck.

Immediately three long months of enjoyment followed. College Football tailgates, off-roading, car shows.. you name it I was there! Tik tok videos, Instagram videos and prerecorded YouTube videos I was enthralled with my dream truck.

October of 2021 I had an engine issue with severe overheating and I got quotes from many shops to get it fixed. Most shops recommended that I should get an engine rebuild ranging anywhere from $6,000-$8,000. I did my research and took it to a company called Midwest Creations LLC that focused in classic vehicles engine swaps, engine rebuilds and boat performance modification. The owner Chris Lamke then quoted me within the same ballpark for an engine rebuild or $16,000 to $21,000 for a complete engine swap. After a couple of days I decided the $7,000 more was worth the money because I’d get long term reliability and value out of it. I paid $16,000 in full for the build and towed it to the shop to have it repaired.

2 months goes by and the update is as follows:

•New LS engine has arrived

•transfercase won’t attach to transmission

•will need a new transmission -$4,000

I then went to the shop to pay the $4,000 for the new transfercase/ transmission. Once that invoice was paid I was given a time frame. I left the shop and waited a couple of weeks. I then called for updates and I would recieve them until one day it was radio silence. I had been blocked it had seemed and the shops number disconnected. I then went to the shop to see that it was completely gone… nothing was left behind. The signs removed, all of the cars, nothing was left. I searched Chris Lamke on a local website that another number for him was listed on and I contacted that number. He stated that the company had shut down and my car was being worked on and not to worry. He was working on all of the other vehicles that were there and that mine was in his new facility being worked on. Well anyway after 3 years of refusing to return the car, fake images being sent to me, fake stories and fake promises I got a surprising call from a storage facility. The storage facility stated that my vehicle was sitting in an unpaid unit and had been dropped off there about 4 years ago. Indicating that nothing had been done to the vehicle since it was parked there. It currently has a thick layer of dust on it, missing it’s whole engine and has left me in financial ruin. No lawyers will take my case because it’s unlikely Chris Lamke will ever pay what he owes.

It’s now October 28th 2025

I have lost:

•$4,000-$7,000 drive train

•$20,000 fraudulent service

•$1,300 useless insurance

•Countless hours of time spent on saving and work

•Countless nights of sleep

•Countless deals and job opportunities because I feel as if I can’t trust anyone after being manipulated out of so much.

•Dreams of owning my truck I worked so very hard to have to start an online career in exploration and nature.

The damage this has done to my life has been immense and this has really devastated my mental health. It’s hard to trust anyone including family, friends or businesses because of this. The police can’t do anything about this situation because it’s a “Civil Issue”. The police have stated that the only real option is to get the truck back hopefully and sue him if possible. They can’t intervene, the insurance won’t cover it and Chris Lamke stole $20,000 from me and additional money in my own trucks parts… and the Urbandale Police Department stated there were atleast 3 other victims totaling a minimum of $100,000. He has gotten away with this crime and the legal system as well as all three of the other victims can’t do anything about it.

It would mean the world to me if you could help donate any amount so that I can get my truck back.. fixed and operational as I can’t afford the full amount that would cost. It will most likely be around $20,000 total. 11,000 is a lot I know but I’ve already lost so much and I’m not sure I can really do anything other than this to recover…

thanks for reading and hopefully you second guess all of your repair decisions because this could happen to anyone and you would also be left out of all options like I was :(