We’ve seen instances of tow trucks being used to steal cars in many parts of the country. Sometimes the tow trucks themselves have been stolen by criminals. But a new report out of Portland indicates police busted an otherwise legitimate-looking tow company that was allegedly swiping cars.
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According to KGW, the tow trucks were scooping up cars as they sat parked, then selling them to a scrap yard. This went on for some time until a 79-year-old woman caught a suspect trying to steal her Cadillac. That helped lead to the bust which went down on the morning of January 5.
The guy police busted was in a reportedly unlicensed tow truck. He had established what from all appearances was a legitimate towing company called Maters Auto Recycling. Using that business, police say the guy sold 80 cars to a recycling yard from August through November last year. It sounds like business was good, if not completely legal.
As a result of the investigation and bust, the guy running that tow truck operation is now facing 22 charges.
One of the prosecutors told KGW he thinks the laws for scrap yards in Oregon are outdated, allowing this sort of illegal activity to continue. He might be right and if it’s true, tightening those up could help with the car theft problem.
Some commenters on KGW’s report say this problem of tow trucks stealing cars, then selling them to scrap yards or elsewhere is common. They think this bust won’t make much of a difference since this is just one of many. We’ll see just what impact, if any, this has on crime theft rates in Portland for 2024.
Image via KGW
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