LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Gwinnett County officers are searching for an inmate who brought a stolen and "cloned" vehicle beyond the guard line at the county Department of Corrections.
According to investigators, on Wednesday, Feb. 20, detectives from the Gwinnett Motor Vehicle Theft Unit were actively trying to find stolen vehicles and found a 2018 Dodge Challenger parked at the Gwinnett County Department of Corrections Work Release Center located at 750 Hi Hope Road.
The car was parked inside the guard line of the jail facility. The license tag on the back of the car was an Alabama dealer tag. According to the Motor Vehicle Theft Unit, dealer tags are frequently used to conceal stolen vehicles.
The vehicle identification number (VIN) displayed in the windshield of the Challenger was altered from the original. Law enforcement officials define the practice of "cloning" a vehicle by using a VIN from a legally registered vehicle to hide the identity of a stolen or salvaged vehicle.
Police said inmate left stolen car at work release center
According to investigators in this case, once officers were able to determine the actual VIN, they discovered that the car was purchased from a dealership in Conyers using fraudulent information.
Investigators believe the driver of the car, who they identified as Deangelo Bell, saw detectives investigating and fled the area before they could detain him. Bell is currently on the run and failed to report back to the Gwinnett County Department of Corrections.
This makes the tenth cloned vehicle the Gwinnett Motor Vehicle Theft Unit has recovered so far this year.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Bell is asked to contact Gwinnett County Police Detectives at 770-513-5300. Anonymous tipsters may call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters may receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
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