ARLINGTON COUNTY CRIME SOLVERS (703) 522-TIPS

ARLINGTON, Va. - January 23, 2003 - Jose Delapaz Gonzalez, the first person arrested as a result of the Arlington County Police Department's bait car program, is still wanted by detectives from the Auto Theft Unit. Gonzalez, 40 years old, did not appear for trial on August 8 and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Gonzalez faces three felony charges: two counts of grand larceny auto and one count of possession of burglarious tools. Gonzalez' last known residence is on the 800 block of S. Florida Street in Arlington. Anyone with any information about his whereabouts is asked to call Arlington County Crime Solvers at 703-522-TIPS (8477) or Det. Dengeles at 703-228-4233.

At approximately 12:54 a.m. on April 13, the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center received a signal from a “bait car”, a specially equipped vehicle placed on the street by Auto Theft detectives in the hopes of attracting car thieves. Using GPS technology installed in the vehicle, ECC personnel tracked the bait car and notified officers in the area. Once officers were in position around the vehicle, ECC personnel remotely disabled the vehicle. The subject driving the vehicle, Gonzalez, was taken into custody without incident.

In addition to Gonzalez, detectives from the Auto Theft Unit are also seeking an unknown suspect for breaking into a bait car on Nov. 14 in an unrelated incident. A picture of the suspect was released today.

The bait car program is the latest strategy in the Auto Theft Unit’s fight against car thieves. The bait car fleet consists of commonly stolen vehicles parked in areas that suffer from a large number of auto thefts. Auto thefts in the county are on the decline, thanks to programs like the bait car instituted by the Auto Theft Unit.

Crime Solvers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of this subject. Callers to Crime Solvers remain anonymous and do not need to testify in court.

MEDIA NOTE: A picture of Gonzalez is available from the ACPD Public Information Office by emailing a request to jritte@co.arlington.va.us or by calling Det. John Ritter at the number below.

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