Vehicle Theft Task Force Detectives Recover Six Stolen Vehicles, Arrest Suspect in Wittmann

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Vehicle Theft Task Force (VTTF) detectives served a residential search warrant on a property in Wittmann. The warrant followed an investigation into several stolen vehicles observed on the property.

During service of the search warrant, detectives arrested one suspect and recovered six stolen vehicles, including:

• 2022 Polaris Razor
• 2016 Polaris Sportsman
• 2023 C&M flatbed trailer
• 2013 Sandstorm travel trailer
• 2014 Arctic Cat UTV
• 1999 Ford F350 pickup truck

The suspect, 22-year-old Juan Manuel Chavez Espinoza, was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges including four counts of theft of means of transportation.

The VTTF is comprised of city, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies participating in a concerted effort to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals and criminal organizations that profit from the theft of motor vehicles and related crimes.

The VTTF serves a vital mission on behalf of the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority (AATA) to reduce vehicle theft in Arizona by deterring criminal activity through effective and proactive enforcement, prosecution and public awareness programs. The VTTF is substantially funded by an annual grant from the AATA.