Olympia Police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad said police are investigating whether the garage was used as “chop shop” where stolen vehicles were stripped down and sold as parts.
Detectives are looking for the son of the woman who rents the home, and the case is under investigation, said Olympia Police Lt. Jim Costa. Bjornstad added that police are searching for two additional persons of interest.
Costa said police obtained the search warrant Wednesday morning after learning of suspicious activity at the residence in recent months. “There’s been a lot of activity at that place,” he said. Lots of cars going in and out of the residence at odd hours were a red flag for police, he said.
The Hondas found in the garage had been stolen out of Puyallup, Olympia and Tumwater, he said. The thefts date back as early as October, he added. It’s possible that some of the parties seen at the residence are involved in gang activity, he said.
A retired State Patrol trooper was assisting Olympia police at the scene Wednesday in identifying possibly stolen auto parts found in the garage, Costa said.
Costa said the recovered stolen vehicles and parts may help clear an unusually large number of stolen vehicle reports from the Olympia area over the past year.
For more information, check back at theolympian.com, or read Thursday’s edition of The Olympian.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465 jpawloski@theolympian.com
