A man was in court Thursday charged with scamming his insurance company, but this case of fraud turned into much more and it left police wondering what he was thinking.

Police say it started as insurance fraud. Charles Keith Phillips parked his car on the side of the road in Winfield last year, pretending it was broken down. Investigators say he came back and pushed the car over the hill, totaling it and then collecting more than $15,000 from his insurance company.

This crime spiraled downhill and turned into a confusing chain of events that started when Phillips thought a potential witness in the case was an undercover informant.

Phillips then started talking to another man, but he was a real undercover informant who was cooperating with the state police.

Police say Phillips told their actual informant that he wanted the witness beaten up and shut up, so they arranged a meeting.

According to the FBI, insurance fraud costs the average family 400 to 700 per year in increased premiums.

The state dropped the conspiracy to commit malicious wounding charge in exchange for Phillips' guilty plea to insurance fraud.