Authorities say a Harris County household turned an auto store in a theft operation, stealing vehicles and promoting off components. Six males now face costs.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A number of members of the identical household are going through costs in a Harris County automobile theft investigation centered round an auto physique store the place authorities say stolen vehicles had been dismantled and offered for components.
Gilberto Angulo, believed to be the store’s proprietor, appeared earlier than a Justice of the Peace decide Thursday together with 5 different males — 4 of whom share his final title. All six are accused of taking part in what prosecutors described as an organized crime ring.
“The co-defendants are his brothers, his nephews, and his son,” a protection legal professional mentioned in court docket.
“They [investigators] allege that motor autos had been stolen, dismantled, and the components offered off,” a Justice of the Peace decide added. “At the least 12 vehicles valued at over $120,000 had been stolen simply in a pair weeks of investigation.”
In response to Pasadena police, the division’s Auto Theft Division recognized the store throughout an investigation right into a string of truck thefts within the metropolis.
“It was decided that the suspects had been stealing autos and dismantling them to each promote components and set up components in autos on the storage,” Pasadena PD mentioned in an announcement. “A big amount of intact autos and automobile components had been recovered on the scene.”
In response to the Harris County District Lawyer’s Workplace, investigators imagine a number of the allegedly stolen autos had been briefly left at a close-by faculty earlier than being moved to the store.
Legal protection legal professional and retired Houston police officer Thom Nixon mentioned that tactic, referred to as “cooling off,” provides thieves time to see if the proprietor or police are looking for the automobile.
“They’re going to see should you’re out in search of it, or if police present up,” Nixon mentioned.
Whereas investigators did not use GPS to find the autos, Nixon mentioned that “cooling off” window may provide victims an opportunity to recuperate their vehicles in the event that they’ve geared up them with monitoring units.
“Observe your individual automobile, you may put an Apple AirTag in your automobile with alert statuses on it that enable your automobile to inform you it is transferring and you are not in it,” he mentioned.
Nixon mentioned thieves usually goal vehicles and SUVs for precious parts like catalytic converters and onboard computer systems.
As of Thursday, court docket information present Gilberto Angulo and co-defendant Edgar Charles had posted bond. Each had been held on two counts of participating in organized prison exercise, with bond set at $100,000 per cost. The remaining 4 defendants are nonetheless in custody.
