Western States Auto Theft Investigators
Western States Auto Theft Investigators
Oregon Trail Chapter
Newsletter
July
2004 Edition
One-day vehicle theft class in Medford a resounding success!
Feedback from both presenters and attendees revealed the class was well received. Take a moment to thank your WSATI board members for all the hard work. Anyone interested in assisting with training classes should contact a board member to find out what is needed. Don’t forget the upcoming three-day class in Salem on October 13-15, 2004.
Eugene area car thief receives a stiff sentence
19-year old Joshua James Ericson of Eugene received 149 months in prison after his conviction on 41 felony counts related to stolen vehicles. Ericson frequently fled from the police during his capers and on one occasion even managed to escape from arresting officers while handcuffed behind his back. He was recaptured two hours later when a witness thought it was suspicious for someone wearing handcuffs to be looking into neighborhood homes and vehicles.
Another LoJack recovery
A Tampa, Florida, Cadillac dealer discovered a white Cadillac Escalade was missing from their inventory. An extensive inventory took several
weeks. On March 26, 2004, they decided the vehicle was unaccounted for and reported it stolen. The vehicle had been pre-installed with a LoJack transponder. The activation signal went out. Three days later, a CHP officer in Riverside County, California, received a signal on the vehicle and tracked it to a residence in the unincorporated area of Riverside County. Investigation revealed the vehicle had already been “VIN-switched” but was otherwise undamaged. A male suspect was contacted at the scene and released pending additional investigation.
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False insurance claim results in conviction
Terry Jordon Jr., 24, of Salem was sentenced to 18 months probation after being found guilty of filing a false theft report in Marion County, Oregon. Jordon had reported his 2001 Ford pickup stolen to the Salem, Oregon Police Department and filed a claim for the loss of his truck. Subsequent investigation determined the truck had been accidentally or deliberately driven over a cliff in the Santiam National Forest, resulting in the truck catching on fire, which in turn caused a fire that scorched about two acres of nearby forest.
2004 WSATI ORGANIZATION
President: Tom Pohlman
Gresham Police (503) 793-4988
Email:
First Vice President: Bill Huston
Progressive Insurance (503) 403-3781
Email:
Second Vice President: vacant
Secretary: Ann Lewis
Allstate Insurance (503) 603-6420
Email:
Treasurer: Brent Bates
Portland Police (503) 823-5093
e-mail:
Newsletter: Scott Thomas
Eugene Police (541) 682-5573
Email:
Another don’t mess with grandma story…
Springfield (Oregon) resident Sylvia Gresham noticed that her truck was no longer in her driveway but didn’t waste time calling the police. She went out to find it. Her neighbor drove her around looking for it. Almost immediately they spotted Gresham’s truck with two boys in it. The neighbor turned the car around and followed the truck until they were able to cut them off at an intersection. Gresham jumped out of the car and confronted the teens. When the driver tried to pull a knife, Gresham yanked him out of the truck and slapped him around, warning, “reach for the knife again and I’ll kick your a**.” The boy in the passenger seat ran away. When police arrived to see what was blocking traffic, they found the 175-lb driver crying as he was held down by the grandmother who was calling him a liar and demanding to know if his parents knew what he was up to.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
A membership application has been included with the newsletter. Renewing members should also fill out the form to ensure their information is up to date. Renewing and lifetime members do not need to include the sponsor information. Remember to include an email address for either your work or home so that you can get the full color edition of the newsletter quickly and at less expense for our chapter.
Please share this application with your auto theft investigation associates so they may share in the benefits of membership such as this nifty newsletter and a genuine WSATI patch.
Private vehicles vs. aggravated theft
Oregon’s Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle (UUV) statute specifies vehicle theft as a class C felony (max five years prison, $100K fine) regardless of the vehicle’s value. Theft of a commercial vehicle, however, can qualify as Aggravated Theft (B felony, max ten years prison and a $100K fine) if the vehicle is valued at over $10,000. As this law stands, someone who steals a utility trailer worth $11,000 could be charged with Aggravated Theft (B felony), but if they were to steal a $75,000 Mercedes they could only be charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and/or Possession of a stolen vehicle (both class C Felonies). An amendment has been proposed by the WSATI legislative committee to include all vehicles in the Aggravated Theft statute.
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A proposed Auto Theft Prevention Authority
The WSATI legislative committee has been working very hard at developing an Auto Theft Prevention Authority for Oregon to promote auto theft awareness, prevention, education, and prosecution. It would be an independent authority separate from any state agency funded by a dollar per year surcharge on each licensed motor vehicle insurance policy issued in the state. Funding would be dedicated and untouchable by the legislature. Using the Arizona Auto Theft Authority as a model, the Authority would consist of roughly five (5) paid positions operating from a small rented office in a state building. It would be governed by a ten member board including representatives from law enforcement, state government and private industry representatives, along with two citizens appointed by the governor. A sunset provision would ensure that the auto theft authority does not become an unnecessary expansion of government should it become inefficient or ineffective.
WSATI 2004 REMAINING EVENTS
July 14Wilsonville
Intelligence meeting- legal updates
August 8-13 Antwerp, Belgium
IAATI National Seminar (
(no Wilsonville meeting)
September 8Wilsonville
Intelligence meeting- airbags and other safety issues
October 13, 14, 15 Salem
3-day vehicle theft seminar
November 10Wilsonville
Intelligence meeting- insurance fraud updates
December 8Salem
WSATI Executive Board meeting (executive board members only)
Western States Auto Theft Investigators
Oregon Trail Chapter
P O Box 1071, Lake Oswego, OR 97034