Crime & Safety
Watsonville Chop Shop: Man Arrested; Stolen Cars Found, CHP Says
A man is facing five felony accounts after officials found stolen cars and dismantled cars, CHP said.
WATSONVILLE, CA — A Watsonville man was arrested on suspicion of operating a chop shop Monday after disassembled cars and two stolen Hondas were found at his home, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Gustavo Chavez, 28, was arrested after officials conducted a probation search at his Grant Street home Monday morning. He is facing five felony charges related to car theft, operating a chop shop, altering a vehicle ID number and violating felony parole, according to Santa Cruz County jail records.
A chop shop is the colloquial term for car shops that disassemble stolen cars and sell their parts.
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Officials were first tipped off this weekend, when the Watsonville Police Department responded to Chavez's home after noticing what appeared to be a chop shop in progress, CHP said.
Watsonville police, CHP and the Santa Cruz County Auto Theft Taskforce conducted the probation search there Monday morning.
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