Second Man Involved In March Auto Thefts Arrested Tuesday
April 19, 2018 at 5:03 p.m.
The second man involved in a series of auto thefts in Indiana and Michigan in March was arrested Tuesday.
Travis Michael Mrozinski, 22, of 310 N. Hickory St. East, North Webster, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 6:08 p.m. Tuesday on two counts of auto theft. His preliminary bond was set at $40,500.
Court documents filed April 5 list the charges against Mrozinski as burglary, a level 4 felony; and four counts of auto theft, level 6 felonies.
His alleged accomplice, Johnathon Michael Stump, 22, of 107 EMS W 30 Lane, North Webster, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 3:16 p.m. April 4 for burglary, a level 4 felony; and four counts of auto theft, level 6 felonies. His bond was set for $30,000 surety and $250 cash.
On April 1, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputy Kreg Kuhn spoke with a man who said his 2003 Ford Ranger pickup was stolen from his Kosciusko County residence. He said that he was asleep and heard his pickup start. The man went outside and saw two men. One of the men saw the pickup owner and said, “Let’s get out of here.” The men then fled the scene in the pickup.
After the men left, the truck owner saw a white 2002 Chevrolet van with a trailer and a 2008 Bad Boy Buggy stuck in the mud next to his residence. Officers determined that the van and trailer were stolen from Syracuse. The van owner arrived at the scene and identified his vehicle and trailer as his, but not the Buggy.
The van owner said the subjects entered the attached garage by lifting up the garage door to enter his mother’s residence in Kosciusko County. The subjects got the keys from inside the garage for the van, then left the garage door partially up and stole the van. He said the trailer was stolen from his business.
On March 2, an officer with the Saint Joe County Sheriff’s Department (SJCSD), Michigan, told KCSD deputy Shane Bucher that they had found a Ford F550 dump bed pickup truck parked at a business with the lights on and the doors open. The vehicle was registered to an excavating business. SJCSD also reported the same business had a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2003 Jeep Wrangler stolen. The Silverado had been recovered.
Bucher spoke with the excavating business owner. who said his Ford F550 should be parked at his business in Kosciusko County. He said he did not give anyone permission to take his vehicle and if the vehicle was in Michigan, it had been stolen. He said his employees told him there was a white 2001 Ford F250 at the business but they did not know who it belonged to.
The white 2001 Ford F250 had been reported stolen to a police department in Michigan. The department reported they recovered a 2003 Ford Ranger, which Bucher found was the vehicle the first man had reported stolen.
[[In-content Ad]]
On April 4, Bucher recovered the 2003 Jeep Wrangler reported stolen from Saint Joe County at Turtle Bay Mobile Home Park, Syracuse. In a nearby residence, Bucher located and spoke with Stump.
Stump allegedly admitted that he and Mrozinski stole the Buggy and the 2002 Chevrolet van, then went to the van owner’s business and stole the trailer to load the Buggy onto.
Stump said he and Mrozinski got the van and trailer stuck, then stole the 2003 Ford Ranger. They drove the Ranger to Michigan, where they stole a white Ford F250 and left the Ranger. They returned to Kosciusko County, stole the F550, leaving the F250. Then they drove back to Michigan in the F550 and stole the Silverado, leaving the F550. Then they dumped the Silverado and stole a maroon Jeep Wrangler. Then they drove back to Kosciusko County, where Bucher found the Jeep Wrangler at Turtle Bay Mobile Home Park.
The second man involved in a series of auto thefts in Indiana and Michigan in March was arrested Tuesday.
Travis Michael Mrozinski, 22, of 310 N. Hickory St. East, North Webster, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 6:08 p.m. Tuesday on two counts of auto theft. His preliminary bond was set at $40,500.
Court documents filed April 5 list the charges against Mrozinski as burglary, a level 4 felony; and four counts of auto theft, level 6 felonies.
His alleged accomplice, Johnathon Michael Stump, 22, of 107 EMS W 30 Lane, North Webster, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 3:16 p.m. April 4 for burglary, a level 4 felony; and four counts of auto theft, level 6 felonies. His bond was set for $30,000 surety and $250 cash.
On April 1, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputy Kreg Kuhn spoke with a man who said his 2003 Ford Ranger pickup was stolen from his Kosciusko County residence. He said that he was asleep and heard his pickup start. The man went outside and saw two men. One of the men saw the pickup owner and said, “Let’s get out of here.” The men then fled the scene in the pickup.
After the men left, the truck owner saw a white 2002 Chevrolet van with a trailer and a 2008 Bad Boy Buggy stuck in the mud next to his residence. Officers determined that the van and trailer were stolen from Syracuse. The van owner arrived at the scene and identified his vehicle and trailer as his, but not the Buggy.
The van owner said the subjects entered the attached garage by lifting up the garage door to enter his mother’s residence in Kosciusko County. The subjects got the keys from inside the garage for the van, then left the garage door partially up and stole the van. He said the trailer was stolen from his business.
On March 2, an officer with the Saint Joe County Sheriff’s Department (SJCSD), Michigan, told KCSD deputy Shane Bucher that they had found a Ford F550 dump bed pickup truck parked at a business with the lights on and the doors open. The vehicle was registered to an excavating business. SJCSD also reported the same business had a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2003 Jeep Wrangler stolen. The Silverado had been recovered.
Bucher spoke with the excavating business owner. who said his Ford F550 should be parked at his business in Kosciusko County. He said he did not give anyone permission to take his vehicle and if the vehicle was in Michigan, it had been stolen. He said his employees told him there was a white 2001 Ford F250 at the business but they did not know who it belonged to.
The white 2001 Ford F250 had been reported stolen to a police department in Michigan. The department reported they recovered a 2003 Ford Ranger, which Bucher found was the vehicle the first man had reported stolen.
[[In-content Ad]]
On April 4, Bucher recovered the 2003 Jeep Wrangler reported stolen from Saint Joe County at Turtle Bay Mobile Home Park, Syracuse. In a nearby residence, Bucher located and spoke with Stump.
Stump allegedly admitted that he and Mrozinski stole the Buggy and the 2002 Chevrolet van, then went to the van owner’s business and stole the trailer to load the Buggy onto.
Stump said he and Mrozinski got the van and trailer stuck, then stole the 2003 Ford Ranger. They drove the Ranger to Michigan, where they stole a white Ford F250 and left the Ranger. They returned to Kosciusko County, stole the F550, leaving the F250. Then they drove back to Michigan in the F550 and stole the Silverado, leaving the F550. Then they dumped the Silverado and stole a maroon Jeep Wrangler. Then they drove back to Kosciusko County, where Bucher found the Jeep Wrangler at Turtle Bay Mobile Home Park.