Detectives with the Plano Police Department said suspected thieves stole more than $2.5 million worth of trucks and SUVs from around North Texas.
Details about the alleged crimes, which reads like a crime series on a streaming platform, were detailed in an arrest probable cause affidavit. Several suspects tied to the case were indicted and formally charged last week.
Plano Police said there has been a continued series of thefts specifically involving GM model trucks and SUVs along the Dallas Tollway in Plano.
"It's unfortunate because a lot of people are going to suffer on the back end and don't even realize that they are losing money," said Jennifer Chapman, spokeswoman for the department.
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According to the court documents, police responded to a stolen car report at Texas Health Plano Hospital when a woman reported her 2022 GMC Sierra was stolen. The detective on the case said video from the area showed suspects in a black 2015 GMC Sierra steal the woman's vehicle on Jan. 23, 2023, in less than three minutes at around 12:20 p.m.
Later that evening, Police would learn another vehicle, a gray 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, was stolen at 2500 Dallas Parkway while the owner was at work.
The truck, equipped with a GPS tracking device, helped police locate the vehicle and essentially find the suspects, who were accused of engaging in organized criminal activity.
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TRACKING THE TRUCK
Plano Police worked in conjunction with the Texas Department of Public Safety's Aircraft Operations Division to help track the truck that was equipped with a GPS tracking device.
The helicopter flew over Southeast Dallas where the stolen truck was located at an apartment in the 8000 block of Rothington Road near Interstate 30 and Jim Miller Road.
Detectives found the truck in the back of the apartment complex. Once they confirmed the license plate and VIN numbers, they knew they had the right vehicle. With the permission of the truck owner, they "established electronic surveillance" on the truck around 8:58 p.m.
Police said the suspects did not live at the complex but were "cooling off" the truck, meaning to make sure there was not a tracking device. If a suspect parks a stolen vehicle and it's taken back, they know it was found. But if it remains in the same spot for an extended time, they go back to retrieve it.
Plano investigators said a little less than an hour after they made eyes on the truck, the vehicle started moving again. As police tracked its moves on different streets, they saw a silver Tahoe following the stolen truck at a fast speed on the same path.
FORT WORTH LOT FILLED WITH STOLEN CARS
The suspects in the two vehicles would end up at a fenced-in lot at 1150 Mosier Valley Road in Fort Worth.
According to the court records, detectives witnessed one of the suspects, Jacob Ruiz, get out of the front passenger side of the Tahoe and open the locked gate to the yard. The driver of the Tahoe, named as Jesus Daniel Perez Rodriguez, removed the license plate off the stolen Chevy from Plano.
Police said the man accused of driving the stolen truck, David Villegas, drove the truck into the yard and parked it next to six other GMC Sierras and Chevrolet Silverado Trucks. The investigators suspected they were all stolen.
After the suspects locked the gate, police said they got back in the Tahoe. Plano Police then reached out to Arlington Police which conducted a traffic stop near I-30 and Ballpark Way.
REPEAT OFFENDERS, SCREWDRIVERS AND DEVICES TO REPROGRAM KEYS FOUND DURING TRAFFIC STOP
Perez Rodriguez and Ruiz were arrested for not wearing their seatbelt and Torres Villegas was arrested for "Unauthorized of a Motor Vehicle."
Detectives from Plano who were also at the scene of the arrest recognized Perez Rodriguez and Ruiz as they exited the Tahoe. Court documents said the two have been arrested multiple times in the Metroplex last year for stealing vehicles.
During a search of the Tahoe, police found screwdrivers likely used to pop their own locks on car doors, and a device used to reprogram keys to vehicles.
DEVICE LINKED TO 50 AUTO THEFTS IN 1 MONTH IN NORTH TEXAS
Investigators with the Plano PD Vehicle Crimes Unit knew the tablet stores VIN numbers on the device when it's been used to reprogram keys. After obtaining a search warrant to check the device, on Jan 25, 2023, they discovered the tablet was connected with 50 different GMC Sierras or Chevrolet Silverado trucks since December.
Based on their estimate of car values, a lowball estimate is that the 50 vehicles, including the eight recovered from the lot in Fort Worth, totaled about $2,565,657.
"And that's just the 50 that we found, right? So, it's big business. It's fast. It's moving," said Chapman.
The stolen trucks were out of Mesquite, Dallas, Grapevine, Irving, Garland, Rockwall, Richardson, Plano, Arlington and Terrell.
SUSPECT RENTED OUT LOT FOR STOLEN CARS: POLICE
The night of the thefts, Plano Police returned to the Mosier Valley Road location in Fort Worth with a search warrant and assistance from Fort Worth Officers and the Tarrant Regional Auto Theft Task Force.
When they entered the property, they found six trucks parked next to the original stolen one which led them to the location. Stolen trucks from Plano, Dallas, Mesquite, Garland and Rockwall were found.
"They pretty much sell the vehicle as is, they switch the VINs and falsify the documents and are able to sell it to people who are either unknowing or maybe do know," said Chapman.
Detectives spoke with the owner of the property who said he rents out the space to truckers to park their 18-wheelers. He thought the person he was renting the space to store cars and sell the nearby auto auction. The owner said he didn't know the cars were stolen.
He told investigators a man named Antonio Gustavo Martinez Sanchez with an ID from the Mexican Consulate also rented from a next-door location. Police would find two more stolen vehicles.
Altogether at the two lots, police recovered $446,407.00 worth of stolen vehicles.
The man who provided the fake identification to rent out the lots would later be found with the help of facial recognition software and identified as Stive Montes Miguel.
Police believe he was the one who sold the vehicles. He was arrested and indicted for organized criminal activity, a first-degree felony.
THE OTHER VICTIMS: THOSE WHO BOUGHT THE STOLEN CARS
One man flew to Fort Worth from San Diego, California to buy a black 2022 GMC Sierra for $31,000 after seeing it on OfferUp. When he attempted to register the vehicle, it was discovered that he was provided a fraudulent title. The VIN had been switched. Police said the ID of the man who sold it to him matched the identity of Montes Miguel.
In another incident out of Wise County, a person bought a truck out of Bedford, only to realize that he was given a fraudulent title and the VIN had been switched on the stolen truck. A fake ID with Montes Miguel's picture was also used, according to court records.
There was another reported situation in February out of Haltom City, someone bought a truck for $27,000. Again, Montes Miguel's picture came up on the identification, but with a different name.
Police said all the pictures matched, which is what helped tie them to Montes Miguel.
PROTECTING YOUR VEHICLE
Those familiar with this type of crime said it can take less than three minutes for someone to steal a vehicle.
Police suggest people use a tracking device in their vehicle that's not easily found.
Chapman also suggested getting a lock that blocks bad actors from hooking up the device that can reprogram keys.
"While you want to put a lock on where they can actually reprogram that key, go to your dealership, they'll help you figure that out and get that on there for you," she said.
They also suggested that if you see an offer on any of the social media platforms or websites for used cars, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles lists suggestions on how to avoid buying a stolen vehicle.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau also has a way to verify VIN numbers on a car to make sure it's legit.
Police said it's important to tackle this type of crime because it can lead to other crimes.
