Police Make Arrests in Car Theft Ring

October 6-- It is a scam possibly playing out at metal recycling yards across Wichita.

At Aaron's Salvage on North Broadway, around 30 stolen vehicles where brought in over the past month, where they were stacked, crunched, then recycled.

Police say the two men they arrested would scout out vehicles, steal them, then cash them in at Aaron's Salvage for $100 each. Investigators believe the scam may have been going on for at least a year.

One of the stolen vehicles was a van that belonged to the Holy Savior Catholic Church. It was supposed to go to a needy family.

According to police the men would sell the cars to the salvage yard with bogus bills of sale; even using names such as KAKE News anchor Susan Peters on one, and Kansas City Chiefs player Dante Hall on another.

Salvage Yard Owner Aaron Goodwin says they always operate on the up and up. He says when he saw those two names, he found it suspicious, and set the cars aside for police to investigate.

Police are still investigating just how much salvage yard owners knew when they bought the vehicles. They are also looking at other businesses in the city, figuring the theft ring extends far beyond the two men arrested.

Police say if you do not want your car to end up as part of a scam, never leave it in a vacant lot for a long period of time, without checking up on it.