Chop shop broken up by sheriff's office
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on December 6, 2017 5:29 PM
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Full SizeA 63-year-old is facing charges and another man is wanted after a traffic stop on two stolen rollback wrecker rigs led to the discovery of a chop shop and 13 stolen cars.
Wayne County sheriff's deputies stopped two stolen wreckers being driven by two men on Sleepy Creek Road Nov. 24.
Theodore Robinson, 63, of 124 Elkin Drive, Dudley, was arrested on the scene and is charged with five counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and possession of stolen property.
Kelvin Williams, 44, allegedly fled the stop and is wanted by law enforcement.
A press release from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said further investigation after the traffic stop Nov. 24 led to the discovery of more stolen vehicles off of Sleepy Creek Road, which were also two rollback wreckers.
Those wreckers were seized and returned to the rightful owners.
Investigators from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and inspectors from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles began searching for more stolen vehicles.
They found a chop shop on Griswold Lane, resulting in a total of 13 vehicles being seized due to them being stolen or having altered identification numbers.
A chop shop is a place where stolen vehicles are taken apart, and their parts are sold or used to repair other stolen vehicles.
Officers also recovered a zero-turn lawnmower.
Authorities are still hunting for Williams, and say he is known to frequent the Dudley, Mount Olive and Goldsboro areas.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 919-731-1480, or Wayne County Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255 or submit a tip at p3tips.com.
Callers will remain anonymous and if your information leads to a felony arrest, you will be given a cash reward for the information.