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Cherokee Dealership Owner Daniel Winchell Charged with Multiple Felony Theft Counts
STORM LAKE, Iowa — A Cherokee man connected to multiple northwest Iowa car dealerships is now facing a series of felony charges tied to alleged theft and continued criminal activity.
Court records show 64-year-old Daniel Winchell has been charged with four counts of first-degree theft along with two counts of ongoing criminal conduct in two separate Iowa counties. The charges were officially filed Monday, Dec. 8.
Investigators allege the criminal activity involved vehicle sales at two Holzhauer Ford dealerships and one Holzhauer Motors location, all operating in Cherokee and Storm Lake. Winchell is listed as the owner of the dealerships involved.
According to court documents, during the summer of 2024 vehicles were allegedly sold “out of trust,” meaning proceeds from those sales—totaling more than $10,000—were not properly accounted for with required lenders.
Authorities also claim Winchell kept title and registration fees that customers paid at the time of purchase. Those fees are normally required to be forwarded to the county treasurer so buyers can receive proper ownership documents. Because the funds were never submitted, customers reportedly had to pay those fees a second time to complete their title and registration.
Winchell is currently being held in the Cherokee County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19, 2025, at 3 p.m. in Cherokee.
