2 Young Men Accused of Running Chop Shop

A 17-year-old boy and an 18 year-old man have been accused of operating a chop shop in New Port Richey and stealing vehicles.

While investigating some cases of vehicle theft and an auto burglary, Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies last month discovered the two were in possession of two vehicles that had been stolen April 2: a red Chevy Blazer and a silver Honda Civic.

The vehicles were concealed in a storage unit at 5346 Crafts St., New Port Richey. Or at least the remnants of those vehicles were. Parts were removed from the vehicles at the same location.  

The Blazer, stolen from Palm Harbor, had been stripped of its interior, grill, front bumper, fuel tank and parts of the engine. The Civic, stolen from St. Petersburg, was missing a door, the interior, the hood, its truck and fenders.

The 17-year-old has also been charged in the theft of a 2010 Gas Enduro250 dirt bike from Hudson. The engine went missing from that one. He was also found in possession of racing rims and tires that had formerly been on a Camaro race car.

That same teen is also accused of stealing a handgun from a vehicle.

Both suspects live in Port Richey.

Patch is withholding the name of the 17-year-old. He was charged with one count of operating a chop shop, one count of burglary of a structure, three counts of grand theft auto, one count of armed burglary and one count of grand theft.

The 18-year-old is Daniel Thompson.

Thompson has been charged with one count of running a chop shop, one count of burglary of an unoccupied structure, one count of dealing in stolen property, two counts of grand theft motor vehicle and one count of  tampering with or fabricating evidence. He also had warrants for three additional offenses.