By Shawn Henry 
A Colorado tow truck driver who used his position to steal nearly 50 vehicles has been sentenced to 16 years in prison, bringing closure to what prosecutors called a “calculated criminal operation.”
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According to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Brian Chacon targeted older, broken-down vehicles—often belonging to low-income owners who couldn’t afford immediate towing. He then sold the stolen cars to salvage yards, sometimes for as much as $500 each, before the owners even realized their vehicles were gone.
“Most of these victims were already struggling,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins. “He was preying on people to whom it would cause the most harm.”
Chacon’s scheme unraveled when Douglas County sheriff’s deputies spotted one of the stolen vehicles on his tow truck, equipped with a license plate-reading camera. Investigators later placed a GPS tracker on the truck, which led them to connect Chacon to nearly 50 thefts spanning 2023 and 2024.
Adkins explained that Chacon exploited loopholes in Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulations that govern tow truck operators and salvage yards. Under current rules, a tow driver can sign a bill of sale without proving ownership, and salvage yards are only required to check a vehicle’s VIN once—at the time of purchase. “If those regulations had required a second VIN check before scrapping,” Adkins said, “this defendant would not have been able to steal and crush as many vehicles as he did.”
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly praised investigators for uncovering what he called “a large-scale, calculated criminal operation.” Victims of the thefts described the ordeal as financially and emotionally devastating, with one saying it “put our lives on hold.”
During sentencing, the judge cited greed as Chacon’s primary motive. While the 16-year prison term ends one of Colorado’s most unusual vehicle theft cases, it also raises questions about regulatory oversight in an industry built on trust and accountability.
Via: KDVR Denver
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