PORTLAND, Oregon — Portland Police arrested a man allegedly connected to a major auto theft case on Friday morning.
Officers arrested 53-year-old Joseph Allen Beard at Northeast 162nd and Halsey. Beard suspected of stealing cars through an illegal towing company and selling them for scrap metal.
The case was led by the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office's Auto Theft Task Force. They dubbed the investigation “Operation MistleTow.”
“The whole purpose of this task force and my focus has been to go after the bigger offenders,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Cody Linderholm. “We have gotten them; we've gotten prison time.”
In this case, investigators believe Beard trafficked stolen vehicles through an illegal towing company called Maters Auto Recycling. They said the tow truck Beard was driving wasn't licensed.
Between Aug. and Nov. 2023, investigators said a representative of Maters Auto Recycling sold 80 cars to Rivergate Scrap Metal on North Columbia Boulevard. Investigators found that at least five of the 80 cars were stolen, and about 17 of them appeared to have false vehicle identification numbers. In all, investigators said Rivergate Scrap Metal paid $29,000 for the vehicles.
“Looking at the laws on our books and looking at our investigations, I think it is a much bigger issue than we think,” said Linderholm. “I think the laws surrounding scrap yards are outdated.”
Investigators got a big break in the case on Dec. 9 when 79-year-old woman caught Beard trying to steal her Cadillac with his tow truck near Northeast 66th Avenue and Broadway.
She was in another car with her great-grandchildren at the time and proceeded to box the tow truck in. She then demanded Beard return her car, which he did before taking off. The woman gave investigators information that helped lead to Friday’s arrest.
Investigators said Beard used fraudulent DMV Possessory Lien Foreclosure Forms while dealing with the stolen cars. The forms are meant for cars that are impounded by government request, then auctioned off. Investigators said that none of the cars that Beard sold to the scrap yard were actually towed by government request.
Linderholm said it’s just one more problem this case brings to light.
“It is possible that people don't know a vehicle is stolen,” Linderholm said. “But I think we need to have a more robust due diligence process when you're intaking a vehicle when it could be somebody's livelihood or a community member's lifeline out there.”
Beard was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and faces multiple charges connected to the towing case, including:
- Trafficking in stolen vehicles (1 count)
- Unauthorized use of a vehicle (3 counts)
- Possession of a stolen vehicle (3 counts)
- Forgery in the first degree (3 counts)
- Criminal mischief in the first degree (3 counts)
- Theft in the first degree (3 counts)
- Identity theft (3 counts)
Beard also faces charges related to the Dec. 9 car theft case:
- Unauthorized use of a vehicle (1 count)
- Possession of a stolen vehicle (1 count)
- Theft in the first degree (1 count)