16 May 2024
Six individuals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a criminal organization responsible for the theft of more than 400 vehicles worth approximately $8 million in Southeast Michigan.
The arrests, conducted by the Force Detroit Team and announced by Attorney General Dana Nessel, are a result of months of local police agencies and the Force Team.
According to a news release, the alleged criminal ring targeted new vehicle storage lots at manufacturing facilities, car dealerships, parking lots and individual residences and is alleged to have operated in more than 40 jurisdictions in Oakland, Washtenaw, Macomb, and Wayne counties, with other instances occurring in Eaton and Kent counties.
The Force Team is also working with the Michigan State Police Fugitive Team to locate two additional suspects.
“The activities of criminal organizations like these go far beyond theft,” Nessel said in a news release. “They cause millions in financial losses to our retail partners, sow fear, and endanger lives. Vehicles stolen as part of this criminal enterprise go on to become tools in violence, posing additional threats to public safety. I commend the hard work of the FORCE Team, Troy Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies to investigate and dismantle this operation.”
The six individuals charged and arrested in connection with these thefts include:
Kevin Lamont Stevenson Jr., 21, of Detroit, who is additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
Joseph David Doyle, 25, of Onsted (72 miles Southwest of Detroit), who is additionally charged with six counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
Braylen Jeese Green, 20, of Wixom (46 miles Northwest of Detroit), who is additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
Dejhon Trevon Bush, 20, of Detroit, who is additionally charged with seven counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
Zamarr Terrell Johnson, 18, of Troy, who is additionally charged with 12 counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle and two counts of 4th Degree Fleeing or Eluding.
Desmond Maurice Wilson, 21, of Detroit, who is additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle and one count of Breaking and Entering with Intent.
Each defendant has been charged with Conducting a Criminal Enterprise and Use of a Computer to Commit a Crime. Each of the six defendants is presently jailed at multiple locations throughout Oakland and Macomb counties. No dates have yet been set by the court for subsequent proceedings.
“In my tenure of 30-plus years, I have never seen such bold and brazen thefts from new car auto dealerships,” Rod Alberts, co-executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, said in a release. “This has become an epidemic of organized criminals preying on businesses in our communities and putting law enforcement and the general public in harm’s way, not just during the theft itself, but on the streets after they have stolen the vehicles. I want to thank the Attorney General and her staff for the steps and actions they have taken. It will make a difference.”