Police Use Decoy Car to Catch Suspected Car Thief

Police Use Decoy Car to Catch Suspected Car Thief

7-Eleven on Medway Drive

SAN RAFAEL – Local resident Shaynna C. Myers, 29, encountered serious car trouble outside a 7-Eleven store located at the intersection of Medway Drive and Mill Street on July 14.

When cops caught her driving away in a green Honda that didn’t belong to her, Myers — who’s on supervised probation — insisted that she was merely moving it to a legal parking spot and not stealing it.

Officers had good enough reason to doubt Myers’ explanation and arrested her on the spot at 2:40 p.m.

Myers didn’t know that San Rafael police officers had parked the 1996 green Honda Accord there earlier, and waited nearby to see if anyone would try to steal it.

San Rafael police and the Marin County Auto Theft Task Force organized a sting operation to identify and apprehend car thieves. More than 130 vehicles were reported stolen in the city during a recent 27-week period.

The decoy car worth an estimated $1,500 was parked in the Canal District, an area of the city with many reported crimes. The Honda was under police surveillance when officers witnessed Myers enter it and then start driving away.

Myers was stopped by officers within minutes. When questioned by police, she admitted only to wanting to make sure the car was legally parked.

Myers was given a lift to the Marin County Jail, charged with vehicle theft, violation of her probation conditions, and willful cruelty to a child under a court order. She remains in custody in lieu of $25,000 bail.

A July 20 court hearing is scheduled to review a petition to revoke her probation, and review previously set bail conditions for her possible release.

Police Use Decoy Car to Catch Suspected Car Thief was last modified: July 25th, 2017 by admin
Categories: Marin

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Jim Emerson

Jim Emerson is a northern California writer covering crime and arrest related news in the Bay Area - focusing primarily on Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin counties.