Car theft ring hit Stark, other Northeast Ohio dealerships, prosecutors say
Members of an alleged car theft ring operating in Stark County and much of Northeast Ohio are facing charges in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
The 11 individuals named in Wednesday's indictment face a host of alleged offenses, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a first-degree felony, and 141 additional counts.
“These 11 men operated a criminal organization that targeted multiple dealerships in 11 counties across Northeast Ohio,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said in a prepared statement. “Their crime spree caused significant damage to the dealerships they hit, the people they affected, and the communities surrounding them. I would like to personally thank the great efforts of the 34 law enforcement agencies that took this group out of commission. They will be held responsible.”
Dealerships in several counties, including Carroll, Stark, Summit, Wayne, Ashland and Portage, were hit by the individuals, who operated an enterprise to steal vehicles, prosecutors allege.
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Prosecutors said three dealerships in Stark were targeted, with five vehicles with a value of $283,533 stolen. They were Automax of Canton in Perry Township, Wally Armour in Alliance and BMW of North Canton in Jackson Township. One vehicle, valued at $92,997, was stolen from a Carroll dealership.
Cuyahoga County indictment in car thefts by Rick Armon on Scribd
Dozens of vehicles stolen
The men are alleged to have stolen 86 vehicles worth more than $1.5 million from about 25 dealerships from November 2022 to mid-March of this year.
Two dealerships in Wayne County and one in Ashland were targeted.
"The primary method the enterprise uses begins with various members of the enterprise casing a dealership during the day and/or night," the indictment reads. "The members would return later at night or early morning hours and break into the dealership through a back door and/or window."
From there, key fobs were taken from desks and offices, and used to steal vehicles from the car lot. The stolen vehicles were used to hit other dealerships or sold, the indictment alleges.
Elias Eberly, owner of AutoMax of Canton in Perry Township, said Tuesday that two cars with a combined value of roughly $40,000 were stolen from his lot overnight on April 29.
One car was a white 2013 Dodge Charger and the other a black 2010 Dodge Challenger.
"I really hope they start cracking down more on these (type of thefts)," said Eberly, adding that he's offering a $2,500 reward per car for a safe return.
In addition to the vehicles, Eberly said up to $3,500 of damage was done to his sales office building, as a window and two doors were broken or "kicked in."
Norton dealership hit hard by theft
Fred Martin Superstore figures prominently in the indictment with three individuals alleged to have stolen vehicles on Nov. 2. A second wave eight days later also involved several vehicles.
The indictment alleges that the ring continued from there, sweeping through other dealerships in the greater Akron area.
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In February, after being stung by a rash of thefts, Fred Martin Superstore offered to pay for a Flock camera system at two points along Barber Road.
Fred Martin had nine thefts "occurrences" in 2022, Cody Huff, operations manager for the dealership, said at the time.
"This is a theft ring that's all over Northeast Ohio," he said then.
The Canton Repository contributed to this report. Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Car theft ring hit Stark, other dealerships, prosecutors say
