PETALUMA (CBS SF) — A Marin County resident, wanted in connection for allegedly stealing classic Porsches in the Petaluma area, was taken into custody on a cruise ship docked in San Francisco, an arrest that has led to the discovery of illegal chop shops in Sonoma County and San Francisco.
Petaluma police said investigators received a tip that 71-year-old Novato resident Wayne R. Krieger was the cruise ship as it was docked on Nov. 27. He had been wanted since 2019 in connection with theft charges of three classic Porsche sedans.
READ MORE: Shoppers Welcome Heighten Police Presence In Downtown Walnut Creek
Aided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, a Petaluma police detective boarded the ship, located Krieger and placed him under arrest.
No information has been released as to the name of the ship or its destination.
Investigators were able to gather enough information from Krieger to seek search warrants for locations in Santa Rosa and Novato.
Assisted by the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force, search warrants were obtained and executed on November 27th and 30th.
READ MORE: Police Officers Denied Service At San Francisco Restaurant Triggering Social Media Debate
One of the stolen Porsches was discovered at a location in Santa Rosa and one in Novato. In both locations, there was evidence of other possible stolen vehicles, vehicle parts, fraudulent registration paperwork, and materials to counterfeit vehicle identification numbers.
Both locations appeared to be operating as illegal chop shops where suspects engage in disassembling motor vehicles and alter identification numbers to possibly sell the vehicles as part of interstate or foreign commerce.
Further information was obtained that the third stolen Porsche was at a shop in San Francisco. On December 2nd, Petaluma officers with the assistance from San Francisco police and the Sonoma County task force executed a search warrant in San Francisco.
The third missing Porsche was located and identified. Officers obtained another search warrant to search the entire shop. Other possible stolen vehicles and vehicle parts were found in the shop. All three of the stolen Porsche’s were recovered. A total of 8 classic Porsches, some engines and other evidence were recovered.
MORE NEWS: Long Lines Form Outside San Mateo Event Center COVID-19 Vaccination Site
The investigation is ongoing and will be followed up by SONCATT. If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, they are encouraged to contact SONCATT at 707-565-1371 or Petaluma PD at 707-778-4372.
Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.