car stolen, wanted to get these saved.
BOUNTIFUL, Utah - Police unraveled a network of chop shops along the Wasatch front. They weren't the usual shop that strips stolen cars for parts. Utah's Motor Vehicle Enforcement and State Insurance investigators have been working on the case for several months. It involved stolen cars, motorcycles and people defrauding insurance agencies saying their property was stolen. The state said insurance fraud costs each household about a $1,000 a year.
"People found out that there was an individual that was willing to take their vehicles and get rid of them and file insurance claims and get paid by insurance," says Armand Glick, director of Utah's Insurance Fraud Division. "A search warrant for a Bountiful storage unit turned up multiple of stolen vehicles, some intact, others in pieces early Tuesday."
As evidence surfaced, the puzzle came together and two more search warrants were executed before the end of the night. Another storage unit in West Jordan was found full of more stripped down vehicles. Some of the vehicles were purposely given up by their owners to bilk insurance companies, say police. Others were truly stolen from their owners.
Thayne Christiansen's car was stolen less than a day and was shocked to see it in one piece.
Richard Nelson was not so lucky with his motorcycle.
"I want to cry; I don't cry too often," says Nelson. "There are six bikes here and mine was the only one stripped. That's pretty sad. I had it just two months."
State law enforcement said they are investigating several suspects but did not say much about the case or any arrests.