A raid on a Tyler, Texas, body shop July 26 produced roughly $500,000 in stolen goods and is helping law enforcement close several theft cases in East Texas, area news outlets reported.
According to KYTX-TV Channel 19, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), along with several law enforcement agencies, executed a search of the warehouse belonging to a body shop. The warehouse had been under surveillance since investigators were
tipped off to suspicious activity in the area, according to the Athens Review.
“It started as a case of someone having stolen property in their
possession,” Trooper Jean Dark of the Tyler DPS office told the newspaper. “When investigators were interviewing them, they found that the same names kept popping up in that investigation.”
Of the items recovered, several have already had their serial numbers matched to theft reports.
Agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety, investigators from Smith, Anderson, Cherokee and Henderson counties, the East Texas Auto Task Force and investigators from the Arp and Tyler Police Departments participated in the coordinated effort, Dark said.
At this time, there are several persons of interest identified, and arrest warrants will be forthcoming, according to the Review.
A property hearing to determine ownership of items recovered will be conducted in Smith County.
More information:
Watch a news report about the raid from KYTX-TV Channel 19
