Arrests made in muscle car theft ring involving an Indiana manufacturing location
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — A man was arrested as a part of a larger investigation into a ring of muscle car thefts across three states.
U.S. Marshalls Service in Toledo, Ohio took 21-year-old Devon Barr into custody on Oct.25 after a warrant was issued from Howard Superior Court II for Devon Barr for two counts of Auto Theft and Corrupt Business Influence on July 26. Barr is accused of being part of a group of individuals stealing and reselling Dodge Chargers and other high-performance vehicles with the Scat Pack options across Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
Captain Scott Purtee with the Kokomo Police Department said, “The subsequent investigation by our investigators determined this was part of a larger group of people who had committed thefts in multiple other cities and states of Dodge Chargers.”
Kokomo Police said these Dodge Chargers were stolen on March 11 and 13. The investigation reached as far as Fort Wayne, Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit & Dearborn Heights Michigan.
“Working together with the other agencies we were able to identify at least one of the suspects in this case and get criminal charges filed against him,” said Purtee.
Captain Purtee did not specify exactly how the cars were stolen but said an electronic device was a key piece of evidence in the case.
“We were able to obtain an electronic device that we were able to determine was in Kokomo at the time of our thefts,” said Purtee. “We were able to utilize and gain more evidence from it which led us to assist us in getting criminal charges filed.”
Dodge’s parent company Stellantis provided News 8 with a statement regarding the thefts.
Stellantis vehicles meet or exceed all applicable federal standards for safety and security. While such events are rare, they are not exclusive to any make or model of vehicle. Stellantis uses industry-standard vehicle-security technology. And as with other vehicle features, we are engaged in continuous product improvement. Notwithstanding, we urge all motorists to take due care in securing their vehicles. The security and protection of our customers are unsurpassed priorities at Stellantis.
Stellantis
