A man and woman were arrested after detectives uncovered an alleged chop shop involving several stolen vehicles at a northwest Miami-Dade home, officials said.
Jennifer Emelinda Roman-Troncoso, 39, and Roberto Perrerra, 41, were taken into custody Friday. Records show they each face four counts of grand theft of a vehicle and one count of operating, owning, or aiding and abetting a chop shop.
According to arrest reports, the investigation began when a victim reported that their stolen Ford F-350, taken on Nov. 24, was pinging at a home on Northwest 123rd Street. A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s detective arrived at the property and saw Perrerra dismantling a pickup truck that matched the stolen vehicle’s description.
Perrerra tried to run inside the home when he saw detectives, but they apprehended him. Detectives then spoke with Roman-Troncoso, who told them she was the tenant on the property.
Deputies searched the home and found the F-350 mostly dismantled, but its VIN matched the stolen truck, the reports said.
Investigators also found doors and a hood belonging to a blue Ford F-250 reported stolen on Nov. 24. Inside black garbage bags, they discovered documents including three Florida vehicle registrations for the F-350, four State Farm ID cards, a Geico insurance card, and a Florida registration for the F-250.
Another bag contained a registration for a white Ford F-450 stolen on Oct. 1 and four South Carolina registrations for an F-450 reported stolen in Homestead on Oct. 23.
All four vehicles were valued at more than $40,000, according to the reports.
Roman-Troncoso and Perrerra were arrested and booked into jail.