Ernesto Garcia, age 20, of Tucson was caught with 3 vehicles, 30 sets of keys from a Tuson car dealership.
On December 6, 2016, the Tucson Police Department requested the assistance of the Tucson Vehicle Theft Task Force (VTTF) which is administered by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The case involved a local car dealership that had been burglarized in which vehicles and sets of keys were stolen from the business.
Detectives from the VTTF worked with the dealership to electronically locate one of the vehicles, a 2008 BMW, at a nearby apartment complex. Detectives searched the area and located the other two stolen vehicles, a 2012 Ford F250 and a 2008 Dodge Ram, at two different apartments nearby. Surveillance was initiated and Garcia was seen moving the BMW. After he was out of the vehicle, VTTF detectives moved in.
Further investigation by state detectives resulted in the recovery of the 30 sets of keys for the vehicles. Garcia was also free on bond for a pending Tucson Police Department auto theft case involving a firearm and aggravated assault. He was booked on multiple felony charges including:
1 count of Burglary 3rd degree (for the business burglary)
3 counts of Theft by Means of Transportation
3 counts of Burglary 3rd degree for each of the three vehicles
“Due to the diligent work of the Task Force Detectives, we were able to make an arrest and recover all three stolen vehicles,” said Sergeant Todd Berson of the Vehicle Theft District.
The Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force (AVTTF) is comprised of city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies participating in a concerted effort to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals and criminal organizations that profit from the theft of motor vehicles and related crimes.