Car thefts drop 52 percent in Thurston County, thanks to task force

Local law enforcement agencies believe they’ve put a dent in the car theft problem that was plaguing Thurston County earlier this year.

They have arrested 27 people in connection to such crimes in 2½ months.

In January, 73 car thefts were reported in Thurston County. But by early April, the monthly figure had dropped by 52 percent.

Lt. Paul Lower of the Olympia Police Department said the drop is due to a task force of detectives and crime analysts from the Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater police departments and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

“We looked at the problem, and we realized that it was bigger than just Olympia,” Lower said. “So we needed to combine our efforts.”

Between 2014 and 2015, the number of car thefts countywide jumped 37 percent, from an average of 35 per month to 48 per month. The trend continued into 2016.

Olympia Sgt. Matt Renschler headed up the task force, which was composed of nine people. Olympia contributed Renschler and another full-time detective, Lacey contributed two full-time detectives, Thurston County contributed two part-time detectives, and Tumwater contributed one part-time detective. Both Olympia and Lacey provided crime analysts, and the team consulted with a Thurston County deputy prosecutor.

“The crime analysts had a lot of data about where cars were stolen, when they were stolen, and what kinds of cars were being targeted,” Renschler said.

From there, detectives conducted interviews with suspects and other people believed to be connected to the crime trend. They also used surveillance, bait cars, confidential informants and undercover work, Renschler said.

What they learned was surprising, he said.

About 75 percent of cars recovered by the task force were found intact only a short distance from where they were stolen. Some of those cars were used for joy rides, and many were used in other crimes, such as burglaries. A few were taken to other locations to have parts removed.

“But it wasn’t an organized process,” Renschler said. “It’s not what you would expect from a typical chop shop.”

While car thefts were up throughout the region, the problem seemed to center in west Olympia, he said. That’s where the most thefts were reported. Many of the people arrested either lived in or had ties to the area.

And of the 27 people arrested in connection to the car thefts, not all are charged in court with theft of a motor vehicle.

For example, Eldon J. Mackintosh, 33, is charged in Thurston County Superior Court with intimidating a current or prospective witness, second-degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon, and fourth-degree assault.

According to court documents, Mackintosh is suspected of threatening a female witness in one of the car theft cases. The victim reported that he is known as “the enforcer” in their friend group.

Another suspect, Christopher G. Oberst, 42, was arrested after he allegedly stole one of the task force’s bait cars. He is charged in Thurston County Superior Court with taking a motor vehicle.

According to court documents, the bait car had been parked at the Mud Bay Park & Ride and left unlocked. A task force detective received a notification that the car had been stolen, and the car was tracked to where it was eventually parked.

Detectives reportedly saw a man removing parts from the car. The suspect, identified as Oberst, was arrested.

Both Oberst and Mackintosh remain in the Thurston County Jail, like many of those arrested by the task force. But the worry is that the suspects will eventually be released — either on bail, or once their sentences are completed — and they’ll pick up where they left off, said Lacey Police Chief Dusty Pierpoint.

“We did regionally notice a drop (in car thefts),” Pierpoint said. “But the unfortunate thing is that the work is never done. We will have to follow up and continue to work together to investigate these crimes.”

But like Olympia police officials, Pierpoint said that the task force was a success — and that such a large regional problem could be solved only through the pooling of resources.

“Investigations like these take a lot more work, they take a lot more follow-up,” Pierpoint said. “I don’t think that one agency could have done it alone.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Car thefts drop 52 percent in Thurston County, thanks to task force."