Car thief caught after trying to trade vehicle at Bert Ogden, police say
MISSION — A McAllen car dealer was arrested after allegedly trying to trade in a stolen Corvette to a Bert Ogden car dealership in Mission on Thursday, Mission police spokesman Lt. Martin Garza said.
Oscar Flores Jr., owner of DLA Auto Sales in McAllen, was charged with theft by appropriation, a third-degree felony, at his arraignment in Mission on Friday afternoon.
Police said Flores tried to trade in the stolen Corvette to the Bert Odgen dealership on the 1400 block of East Expressway 83 in exchange for a Cadillac Escalade. Bert Ogden employees noticed the Corvette had two different vehicle identification numbers, and one had been tampered with, suggesting it had been stolen.
After being notified by the dealership’s employees about the suspicious car, Mission police learned the car had been reported stolen from Florida in March 2006. Police apprehended Flores about 3 p.m. Thursday at the dealership.
Garza said Mission police had a training course for car dealerships on how to spot stolen vehicles a few months ago, and he believes the Bert Ogden employees noticed the signs of a stolen car as a result of that class.
“It’s a good example of a police-community partnership, working together to protect businesses in our city,” Garza said.
Garza said Flores had been trying to sell the stolen Corvette to a couple he was friends with but then took it to Bert Ogden when the couple said they wanted an SUV, not a Corvette. The couple was briefly detained but will not face any charges, Garza said.
It is unclear how Flores came to possess the Corvette, and police are continuing to investigate, Garza said. Flores had owned the Corvette since December 2006 but hadn’t registered it in his name.
