NORCO, CA — A Riverside County auto-theft task force says it recovered 50 stolen vehicles worth about $1.8 million and arrested two people after serving search warrants at a Norco chop shop and other sites in Corona.
Authorities said the raid grew out of a months-long investigation into an organized theft group that had been stealing vehicles across Southern California.
Two suspects face vehicle theft and chop shop charges
Police booked Brian Stump, 46, and Kelsey Jones, 29, on suspicion of operating a chop shop, vehicle theft, multiple counts of possessing stolen vehicles and possession of narcotics.
The California Highway Patrol said the investigation remains active and additional evidence could still be reviewed as detectives work through the recovered property and vehicle parts.
What investigators found at the Norco site
Officers said they found motorcycles, passenger vehicles, trailers and utility terrain vehicles, along with a range of vehicle components, at the chop shop in the 1600 block of Third Street…