A presumed car thief busted behind visiting the police station in a stolen vehicle

A man who the Clarendon police believe to be part of a significant car-stealing ring in the parish was arrested last week when he turned up in a stolen motorcar to visit two of his jailed friends at the Lionel Town Police Station.

The man, whose identity is being withheld as he has not yet been formally charged, turned up at the police station during visiting hours on Sunday, October 16. He was driving a 2015 Toyota Axio motorcar.

Just two days before, two men were busted at the May Pen Police Station in the parish for trying to sell another stolen Toyota Axio motorcar.

Believing the coincidence to be too great, the suspicion of the police personnel on duty was immediately aroused when the visitor arrived in a similar vehicle on Sunday.

Checks were made and it was discovered that the motor vehicle was registered to one of the jailed men.

The police probed further and called in the constabulary’s serial number restoration expert. It was then discovered that the vehicle’s chassis number and engine number had been tampered with and that the vehicle had been stolen in another parish.

The suspect was then arrested and placed in custody.

His suspected cronies, 38-year-old Kemar Meeks and 30-year-old Tyrone Smith, both of Evans Street in May Pen, Clarendon, have since been charged with fraudulent use of a registration plate, uttering forged documents, and forgery.

They are awaiting a date to answer the charges in the Clarendon Parish Court in May Pen.

It is alleged that after advertising a stolen motorcar for sale on social media, the men met the prospective buyer at the May Pen Police Station on Friday, October 14, to conduct the sale.

However, the prospective buyer sought the assistance of the police to verify the vehicle documents, and it was then discovered that the Toyota Axio motorcar bore a registration plate that was not assigned to it, and it had been reported stolen in the Half-Way Tree area of St Andrew.

The police are using these latest incidents to remind persons of the importance of being vigilant when purchasing motor vehicles.

The police said they are able to assist with the verification process, and persons are being encouraged to contact their local police for assistance.