A 25-year-old woman, Brittany Breann Declements, “was one of the major players,” Lakewood police Lt. Chris Lawler said.
She faces four counts of taking a motor vehicle without permission and one count of attempted taking of a motor vehicle without permission. Declements faces the most counts of any of the 12 charged in connection with the chop shop.
Pierce County prosecutors also have charged a handful of others with burglaries and gun and drug offenses. The Auto Crimes Enforcement Task Force, hosted by Lakewood police, launched Operation Bulldog three months ago after noticing a rise in the number of people trying to sell stolen vehicles and car parts.
Undercover detectives set up a fake chop shop in the Glenbrooke Apartment Community, complete with surveillance equipment and a stuffed bulldog mascot. The property owner was aware of the operation.
Declements first popped onto the operation’s radar in June, when detectives arranged to buy two stolen Hondas from her at a sandwich shop in Puyallup.
Surveillance footage captured Cody Wayne Freeman, 36, and Tobien Jonathon Schon, 28, parking the cars and walking off, according to charging papers.
Later, Declements and 23-year-old Anthony Lee Seale drove the Hondas to the bogus chop shop, prosecutors allege.
Detectives bought the cars for $1,100, according to charging papers.
“In conversation, Declements mentioned that she was surprised that they had a shop because she used to steal cars left and right from the apartment complex,” documents state.
Declements and her associates stole another Honda from a Tacoma Olive Garden, which she sold to detectives for $600, the apparent going price for stolen Hondas.
Vehicles also were taken from a movie theater and an Applebee’s restaurant. After they were stolen, the car thieves would temporarily leave them in public parking lots, including at Walmart or the Puyallup YMCA, before arranging to sell them.
The task force identified 25 suspects, 11 of whom were arrested Tuesday. Some were already in custody and some have yet to be found.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kate Oliver said nine of the dozen charged in connection with the chop shop pleaded not guilty. They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
