PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland man was convicted last week of using his tow truck to steal a woman's car, which is believed be to part of a larger scheme to steal cars and sell them for scrap.
On Thursday, a Multnomah County judge found 52-year-old Joseph Beard guilty of unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle and first-degree theft. The Multnomah County District Attorney's office said that the conviction stems by a larger investigation called "Operation MistleTow" between Portland police and the county's Auto Theft Task Force.
According to the DA's office, Beard was affiliated with a business called Maters Auto Recycling, which had a history of falsifying purchase paperwork for stolen vehicles before selling them to Rivergate Scrap Metal. The investigation found that Maters had sold dozens of vehicles off before they were crushed for scrap, netting them thousands of dollars.
A woman spotted Beard towing her car, which was legally parked, in December 2023. The DA's office said that the woman followed Beard's truck and managed to box it in. Other community members got involved until Beard promised to tow the car back, which he did. He then left the scene before the car could be reported stolen.
Police issued a warrant for Beard's arrest on Dec. 22, arresting him on Jan. 5 as he was out driving his tow truck. In all, Beard has been charged with 22 felonies related to the larger investigation, stretching across five separate cases related to car theft.
Sentencing in this first case has been set for Friday, April 19.