Two St. Pete Men Steal Over 25 Cars, Run Chop Shop: Police

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Two men who were already in jail for multiple charges are both accused of stealing more than 25 cars and trucks and operating a chop shop from one of the men's backyard in south St. Petersburg, authorities said

Detectives with the St. Petersburg Police Department began a 10-month investigation of 38-year-old James Nethery and 39-year-old Jason Canady in July of 2019 when they were suspected of stealing cars and stripping them down to use the parts in other vehicles.

"What they were doing is targeting classic cars — mostly from the '80s and '90s," said Lt. Ricardo Lopez. "A lot of the cars were like Chevy El Caminos, Tahoes and trucks. And they were stripping them out and dumping them in the community. A lot of the cars were also used in the commission of commercial burglaries...and businesses."

The investigation was a countywide group effort among St. Pete Police Department, Largo Police Department, Clearwater Police Department, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, New Port Richey Police Department and Kenneth City Police Department. Lopez said the suspects are responsible for 30 cases around St. Petersburg and about 60 in the county.

Surveillance video from one of the commercial burglaries helped police identify Nethery, said Detective Brandon Kaliber. Investigators noticed a distinct tattoo on Nethery's arm in the footage. Lopez remembered arresting Nethery in 2012, which led investigators to identify Canady as his accomplice.

"From there the investigation continued and we were able to link them to multiple other crimes in the city and the jurisdiction of Pinellas County," said Kaliber. "Their involvement is they are associates, they live and reside in the same neighborhood and that's how they were involved together — able to work together."

After the cars were stolen, the men took them to the backyard of a home located at 757 13th Ave. S, St. Pete, where they disassembled them and sent the parts to different locations, police said. Identifying the different locations where parts were sent is part of an ongoing investigation and additional charges could be filed.

As a result of the investigation, Nethery has been charged with two counts of residential burglary, five counts of commercial burglary and 15 counts of grand theft auto.

The charges for Canady include one count of commercial burglary, five counts of grand theft auto, one count of dealing in stolen property and one count of crimes related to the alteration of vehicle identification numbers.