BOERNE, Texas – The search for a stolen truck from a Boerne dealership lead sheriff’s deputies into Mexico. U.S. law enforcement agencies, who along with the Mexican military, helped locate nearly a dozen stolen vehicles from the San Antonio area.
Deputies now have reason to believe there’s a big business stolen car ring operating in the area.
“It is very organized. This is many people. It has to be,” said Tara Cantu, Kendall County crime analyst, about an incident that happened on August 20.
Employees at Boerne Dodge heard tires screeching. When they went to see what was going on, they witnessed two Dodge trucks being driven away.
Deputies were able to chase one of the vehicles down. Behind the wheel was a teenager.
"They apprehended a 15-year-old juvenile in a red Dodge. That was one of the brand new ones off the lot. The other truck that was with him got away,” Cantu said.
Investigators used the GPS tracking device on the other truck, and it was showing that it was in Mexico the next morning.
"The next day, it stayed in one location for multiple hours, and then the plate was stolen between 7-7:30 a.m. They left for Mexico by 7:41 a.m. and crossed the border by 10:26 a.m."
The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office had been dealing with experienced criminals, so they asked a number of law enforcement agencies to get involved, including the San Antonio Fusion Center, the Laredo Police Department, Border Patrol and even the Mexican military.
Border Patrol had video of the stolen Dodge crossing the border and a good look at the man in the driver’s seat. He appears to be young, has a tattoo on his upper-left arm and long sideburns.
The Mexican military used the GPS location provided to them by Kendall County. When they went to retrieve the vehicle, to everyone’s surprise, they found a lot full of stolen vehicles out of Texas.
“It was along with nine others. Eight out of San Antonio and one out of Brazoria County,” Cantu said. “One was stolen the day it was recovered from San Antonio. That’s how quickly they got down there. They’re stealing these plates at a certain time and getting there so quickly, before they're even reported stolen. Like, if they do it at night, people don’t wake up till the next morning, so they're getting across the border while the plates are still good."
Anyone with information about the man driving the stolen truck into Mexico is asked to call the Kendall County Crimestoppers hotline at 1-800-348-5323. A reward is being offered for any tip that leads to his arrest.