Conroe Courier - News
Hog ‘heaven’ raided
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| Tow trucks haul off some of the nearly $500,000 in Harley-Davidson motorcycles and parts recovered Wednesday from the Grangerland-area home of a man arrested for allegedly stealing the bikes and parts and selling them on eBay. |
By Jamie Nash
EAST COUNTY – More than $500,000 in Harley-Davidson motorcycles and parts were recovered Wednesday morning when law enforcement raided a Grangerland-area home and arrested a man for allegedly stealing the bikes and selling the parts on eBay.
Jody Floyd Mathes, 50, was arrested and charged with first-degree felony theft and a felony drug charge after multiple law enforcement agencies converged on his residence off FM 3083 and found the Harley-Davidson motorcycles and parts, along with 5 grams of methamphetamine and a .357 Magnum handgun, officials said.
Officers seized Mathes’ computer, printer and fax machine for further investigation, Womack said.
Mathes had been running a profitable eBay business selling the motorcycle parts and trafficking narcotics, police said.
Mathes was on parole for another conviction involving drugs, according to a search of public records and officers on scene.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Division and MCSO Special Investigation Unit searched Mathes’ residence in the 17000 block of Valley Lane with a warrant signed by Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts. Assisting in the bust were the Texas Department of Public Safety and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The agency began investigating Mathes about a month ago after receiving a tip from the Tomball Police Department, said Lt. David Moore, head of the Auto Theft Division.
Wednesday afternoon, Mathes was listed on eBay’s website as a “power seller” with a 100 percent approval rating by his customers. He also had 561 motorcycle parts listed for individual sale on the site. Some photos appeared to have been taken on his mobile home or front porch.
Officials with both MCSO divisions said eBay will be notified of Mathes’ arrest, and subpoenas will probably be issued for the company’s information on his activities. That will allow officers to investigate further and possibly contact some of the buyers who unwittingly purchased stolen property.
By all accounts, Mathes had no other visible means of support.
Moore said the Auto Theft Division will attempt to identify the owners of the recovered property, but since owners have likely already filed insurance claims, the bikes and parts will probably become the property of the insurance companies.
“We found 13 complete Harleys that run an average of $20,000 each, six additional stripped bike frames and 30 motors and transmissions that didn’t go with any bike on scene,” Moore said.
The value of the recovered parts is an estimated $300,000, he said.
Officers also recovered a golf cart and a four-wheeler.
Moore said there was evidence of approximately 50 Harleys and one other motorcycle at the residence.
Officers located license plates from bikes stolen in Montgomery County, Harris County, Bandera, Boerne and the state of Oklahoma, he said.
Officials say the number of bikes stolen in the county over the past year have dramatically risen, from an average of about 15 to 58 last year – 48 of them were Harleys.
An auto theft officer on the scene said some bike owners called their office in tears when they reported their bikes were stolen.
“For a lot of people, it’s not what they drive, it’s who they are,” he said.
Jody Floyd Mathes, 50, was arrested and charged with first-degree felony theft and a felony drug charge after multiple law enforcement agencies converged on his residence off FM 3083 and found the Harley-Davidson motorcycles and parts, along with 5 grams of methamphetamine and a .357 Magnum handgun, officials said.
Officers seized Mathes’ computer, printer and fax machine for further investigation, Womack said.
Mathes had been running a profitable eBay business selling the motorcycle parts and trafficking narcotics, police said.
Mathes was on parole for another conviction involving drugs, according to a search of public records and officers on scene.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Division and MCSO Special Investigation Unit searched Mathes’ residence in the 17000 block of Valley Lane with a warrant signed by Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts. Assisting in the bust were the Texas Department of Public Safety and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The agency began investigating Mathes about a month ago after receiving a tip from the Tomball Police Department, said Lt. David Moore, head of the Auto Theft Division.
Wednesday afternoon, Mathes was listed on eBay’s website as a “power seller” with a 100 percent approval rating by his customers. He also had 561 motorcycle parts listed for individual sale on the site. Some photos appeared to have been taken on his mobile home or front porch.
Officials with both MCSO divisions said eBay will be notified of Mathes’ arrest, and subpoenas will probably be issued for the company’s information on his activities. That will allow officers to investigate further and possibly contact some of the buyers who unwittingly purchased stolen property.
By all accounts, Mathes had no other visible means of support.
Moore said the Auto Theft Division will attempt to identify the owners of the recovered property, but since owners have likely already filed insurance claims, the bikes and parts will probably become the property of the insurance companies.
“We found 13 complete Harleys that run an average of $20,000 each, six additional stripped bike frames and 30 motors and transmissions that didn’t go with any bike on scene,” Moore said.
The value of the recovered parts is an estimated $300,000, he said.
Officers also recovered a golf cart and a four-wheeler.
Moore said there was evidence of approximately 50 Harleys and one other motorcycle at the residence.
Officers located license plates from bikes stolen in Montgomery County, Harris County, Bandera, Boerne and the state of Oklahoma, he said.
Officials say the number of bikes stolen in the county over the past year have dramatically risen, from an average of about 15 to 58 last year – 48 of them were Harleys.
An auto theft officer on the scene said some bike owners called their office in tears when they reported their bikes were stolen.
“For a lot of people, it’s not what they drive, it’s who they are,” he said.
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