Two Men Arrested For Stealing More Than 25 Dodge Durangos Across Michigan

Yahoo

27-02-2025

Two Detroiters are accused of orchestrating a fairly massive auto theft ring that specifically targeted Dodge Durangos at car dealerships across Michigan. All in all, David Franklin and Barron Hatch Jr. stole over 25 Durangos, and now they've been arrested by police in Macomb County, Michigan.
Police tell The Detroit News they started investigating a series of car thefts in November of 2024. They believed the duo was targeting Dodge dealerships and used a "key programming device" to steal multiple Durangos at once. Police departments across the state worked to find these two silly billies and recover a number of the missing vehicles.
Franklin, a 41-year-old, was charged earlier this month with conducting a criminal enterprise. If he's found guilty he faces up to 20 years in prison, according to The Detroit News. He's also facing a possession of burglary tools charge, which carries up to a 10-year sentence. A judge recently set his bond at $1 million and scheduled his probable cause hearing for March 4. If he does end up posting bond, he'll have to wear a GPS tether. Hatcher, who is 24 years old, was given identical chargers to Franklin, but his bond was set at $500,000.
Hatcher and Franklin were arrested in late January in Farmington Hills, Michigan and Houston, Texas, respectively, before they were extradited back to Michigan. Both men remain at the Macomb County Jail, according to FOX 2 Detroit. Right now it's not entirely clear how many other people, if any, were a part of this operation.
Read more: Judge Takes Away Man's Dodge Charger Hellcat After He Acted Like A Hellcat Owner
Michigan seems to be having a bit of an issue with dealer vehicle thefts as of late. Last summer we told you about a car theft ring that hit over 400 vehicles at dealerships and factories across the state. Dealers actually had to end up calling private security firms to try and safeguard their inventory.
It's not just Michigan or the U.S. as a whole, either. In October, we reported on a band of thieves that stole 20 Honda Civic Type Rs from a port in Australia. I'm still impressed that they were able to do the whole heist upside down.
Folks are also stealing things from cars at an alarming rate. Did you know that a gun is stolen from a car in America every nine minutes? That is... less than ideal, but it's happening. Make sure you lock your stuff up, people. I don't have to tell you this, but you really don't want your gun ending up in the wrong hands.
Read the original article on Jalopnik.