The Charles County Sheriff's Office has arrested two men in connection with a ring of automobile thefts in which the accused used tow trucks to steal the vehicles.
Sheriff's officers arrested Terrance Darnell Dyson, 42, of Brandywine May 28 and Derrick Leftridge, 34, of Waldorf June 2. Dyson is charged with seven counts of motor vehicle theft and Leftridge is charged with two counts of motor vehicle theft.
The investigation began March 1 when the Sheriff's Office began receiving reports of a series of thefts of older-model vehicles, some of which were not in operating condition. The thefts occurred mostly from the parking lots of businesses and witnesses reported seeing tow trucks operating in the areas where thefts were reported.
Investigation by detectives in the auto theft detail revealed several storage lots in Brandywine in Prince George's County were serving as collection points for the stolen vehicles, and the vehicles were then being transported to salvage yards in Prince George's County and in Baltimore to be crushed.
On April 28, detectives responded to Baltimore Scrap Corporation in Baltimore to recover a van that had been stolen in Charles County. Upon their arrival, they found the van and observed Leftridge, who owns Just Say Tow, a towing company in Prince George's County, operating a tow truck with additional stolen vehicles on it. With the cooperation of Baltimore City Police, detectives linked the stolen van to Leftridge. Baltimore City Police arrested Leftridge at the scene and charged him with possession of the van stolen in Charles County, as well as the additional vehicles, which had been stolen in Prince George's County.
Detectives later linked Leftridge to two other vehicles that were stolen using a tow truck. Detectives believe Dyson stole seven vehicles using tow trucks from Just Say Tow and other towing companies Dyson drives for. Dyson and Leftridge were released on bond from the Charles County Detention Center by the District Court Commissioner.
Det. J. Pratta is investigating.