Placer County Sheriff Raids Chop Shop, Makes 4 Arrests, Recovers Stolen Property
A citizen tip led Placer County Sheriff’s deputies to raid a chop shop in Loomis this past weekend, leading to four arrests and the recovery of stolen property, according to an official press release.
Four male suspects were arrested and booked at the Placer County Jail. The four arrested included:
Richard Eugene Burns and Nicholas Reed Williams
- Richard Burns, 35, who lived at the residence and was charged with operating a chop shop, four counts of possession of stolen property, grand theft and criminal conspiracy
- Nicholas Reed Williams, 21, of Auburn, same charges as Burns, except for three counts of stolen property, not four
- Lawrence Nicholas Olsen, 31, transient, charged with possession of stolen vehicle parts
- Joseph Collier, 19, of Auburn, charged with possession of narcotics and paraphernalia
According to Placer County Sheriff, on Friday, June 6 the Placer Land Trust had filed a report with the Auburn Police Department after their Ford truck, a Polaris side-by-side, and lawn mover had been stolen. A Land Trust staff member reportedly posted photos of the stolen items on Facebook, asking the public to help them recover the items. Upon seeing the photos on Facebook, a citizen reportedly tipped off the Placer County Sheriff’s Office on the morning of Sunday, June 8, reportedly stating they thought they knew where the stolen items could be found.
The suspected chop shop was at a home in rural Loomis.
Based on the citizen’s information, deputies and officers from the Regional Auto Theft Task Force (RATTF) reportedly made their way to a residence in the 7500 block of O’Haver Lane in Loomis. There they reportedly discovered five stolen vehicles, all of the Placer Land Trust’s property, as well as several stolen motorcycle engines and frames. The frames reportedly had the vehicle identification numbers removed at the chop shop located on the property.
According to his Facebook profile, Lawrence Olsen is a tattoo artist. (Facebook)
Records show that most of them have a history of trouble with the law. Nicholas Williams was arrested in March of this year on charges of sex with a minor at least three years younger than himself. Lawrence Olsen was arrested in 2012 on drug, weapon and false impersonation charges, along with resisting arrest. Richard Burns has at least seven arrests in the past three years. He has been charged with possession of stolen property and conspiracy, along with multiple charges of driving with a suspended license and other vehicle code infractions, and drug offenses.
According to Placer County Sheriff, the investigation is still ongoing and further arrests are pending.
