A Eugene Police Property and Financial Crimes Unit detective was investigating a Springfield man, James Scott Wilkins, age 37, who was a suspect in a crime spree that included burglaries, thefts, and vehicle thefts. The detective found that for most of the crimes, he had been switching the license plates on his getaway vehicle. This made it more difficult to immediately identify him.
However, Wilkins worked at a local car shop and was a suspect in stealing customers’ vehicles. These vehicles ultimately were the tip in the case that the detective needed to identify Wilkins as the suspect. With help from other agencies, such as Springfield Police and Albany Police, he safely took Wilkins into custody and served a search warrant on his house in the 1800 block of 14th Avenue in Springfield, as well as on a couple of vehicles. Wilkins was lodged on many counts of burglary, theft, and one count of Unauthorized Use Vehicle. This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.
Case 23-13234
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