Two men accused of being part of tri-county auto-theft ring – Macomb Daily

Two Detroit men have been charged with racketeering on allegations they were part of an tri-county auto-thief ring that used a computerized device to allegedly steal over 25 Dodge Durangos from auto dealerships.

David Franklin, 41, and Barron Hatcher, Jr., 24, have been arraigned on charges of operating a criminal enterprise, aka racketeering, and possession of burglary tools in 37th District Court in Warren, according to Macomb County Sheriff’s officials. Racketeering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. One of the dealerships targeted was Galeana’s Van Dyke Dodge/Ram on Van Dyke in Warren, officials said.

The Macomb Auto Theft Squad and three other agencies began investigating the ring last November and and determined the suspects were using an AutoProPad device to steal multiple Durango SUVs at one time, officials said. Investigators recovered “numerous” vehicles and connected the suspects to other alleged crimes in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, they said.

The use of the AutoProPads, which are typically carried by locksmiths, mechanics and dealerships to enter vehicles with key fobs and/or push-button starts, has been increasing in recent years and has contributed to a rise in auto thefts in Michigan, according to law-enforcement officials.

Thieves use the device after breaking into a vehicle. They attach it to the vehicle’s computer system and transfer the key information to a blank key fob they brought with them, officials said.

There also is an Autel brand version of the device.

New laws that took effect last October make it a crime to possess or use such a device for the illegitimate purpose of stealing push-button-start vehicles. The laws make it a five-year felony to possess such a device and a 10-year felony to use the device to steal a vehicle.

In Michigan, vehicle thefts jumped 56% from 2019 to 2023, according to state police crime statistics, according to a Detroit News report. Vehicle thefts in Michigan during the five-year period rose from 18,149 to 28,408, the most in the state since 2008.

Nationally, there were more than 1 million vehicles stolen in 2023, an all-time high, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Michigan ranked 15th in the country for total thefts in 2023.

Officials have heightened efforts to combat the trend. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s FORCE Team auto-theft squad has arrested 10 people over the past nine months that they alleged is in connection with an alleged criminal organization responsible for stealing over 400 vehicles worth some $8 million in Southeast Michigan as well as in the Grand Rapids area. The ring targets new vehicle storage lots at manufacturing facilities, car dealerships, parking lots, and individual residences, officials said.

Assisting MATS in investigating the recent Macomb case were the Oakland County Auto Theft Unit, Genesee Auto Theft Investigation Network, and Troy Special Investigations Unit.

Franklin was arrested Jan. 31 in Houston and extradited to Michigan, and Franklin was arrested Jan. 30 in Farmington Hills, officials said.

He was being held in lieu of a $1 million cash-or-surety bond, and Hatcher was being held in lieu of a $500,000 bond, cash or surety. Both were lodged in the county jail.

Hatcher has warrants for disorderly conduct in Dearborn, speeding in Taylor, driving with a suspended license in Oak Park and third-degree retail fraud in Livonia, according to jail records.

The alleged ring remains under investigation, and more arrests could result, authorities said.