Daniel L. Norby, 47, of Centralia, was arrested Tuesday and faces second-degree theft and first-degree criminal impersonation charges.
Usually, a driving test consists of a making a few turns, stops and parallel parking.
If a driving license examiner’s instructions lead to a casino, he might be an imposter.
One man trying to take his driving test learned that lesson recently after a man allegedly posing as a licensing examiner had him drive to Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester and then allegedly stole money from him.
Daniel L. Norby, 47, of Centralia, was arrested Tuesday and faces second-degree theft and first-degree criminal impersonation charges.
His bail was set at $25,000 Wednesday.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Bohm argued for the $25,000 bail based on Norby’s warrant history. She said in nearly all of his felony cases, he has had one or more warrants issued, making prosecutors concerned about his ability to follow the court’s orders.
Norby allegedly committed the crimes on April 23.
According to court documents, he went into the Department of Licensing office in Centralia, and after getting the information he asked for, got into a another man’s car.
The man was there to take his driving test.
He told Centralia police the man later identified as Norby said his name was “Dave,” got into his passenger seat and told him he was going to evaluate his driving.
Eventually, they ended up at Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester.
They went inside where Norby allegedly asked the man if he could borrow $20, so the man gave him the money. They then swapped coats at the request of Norby, according to court documents. The man said he had between $1,000 and $1,200 in his jacket after recently cashing his Social Security check. When he got his coat back from Norby, the money was missing.
The man became suspicious of the Norby and called the Department of Licensing to let them know they were still at the casino.
DOL employees advised the man to contact security, and he did.
According to court documents, a licensing employee who initially helped the victim when he arrived at the Centralia office told him to wait for the examiner, she told police. After helping him, she had helped Norby.
She said she then saw Norby get into the victim’s vehicle.
First-degree criminal impersonation and second-degree theft each carry maximum penalties of five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Court documents didn’t include information on whether or not the man’s money was returned.
