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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City police warned Hondas are increasingly the target of thieves. It didn't take long for an officer in neighboring South Salt Lake to spot a bunch of the stolen cars.
South Salt Lake police noticed several Honda vehicles at the Days Inn Motel on 315 West 3300 South that all had temporary tags. They checked the VIN and discovered that the five Hondas were listed as stolen.
Police say they set up surveillance on the five vehicles and waited for someone to return to them. Kenneth Harley King, 27, from Magna, Utah, entered one of the cars. Michael Lowell Gillespie, 18, then walked up to King and started talking to them.
Officers then moved in on the two men and arrested King. Gillespie tried to run away but was quickly caught.
With those two men in custody, police turned their attention to the hotel room connected with the vehicles. After staking out the hotel room, police say they apprehended six more people in connection with the case, three males, two females, and one female minor.
The minor was released to the JRC and was not charged. South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller says officers staked out a room, ultimately arresting and booking four people on suspicion of felony auto theft.
Luis Alredo Garcia, 21, from Ogden, and Lacey Judea Ramirez, 25, from Salt Lake City were also arrested.
No formal charges were filed at that time.
