Police: Trio stole vehicles, parts from Elm Mott business

Jul 23, 2023

The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office has arrested three people on organized crime charges in a burglary of vehicles and auto parts last month from an Elm Mott auto parts store.

Investigators also say one of the three used a stolen van to ram a vehicle driven by one of the store’s employees who was trying to recover the stolen vehicles.

According to the arrest warrant affidavits, Amber Nicole Castaneda, 26, John Phillip Cano, 42, and Steven James Perez, 32, on June 27 entered the outside fenced area of BYOT Auto Parts, 14401 N. Interstate 35 Frontage Road in Elm Mott, then forced their way into the shop area of a building, where they took several tools and used auto parts valued at $7,800.

Castaneda

Cano

Perez

They loaded the stolen items into a white Ford van owned by the company, then cut the chain to the fence’s electric gate, according to the affidavits. In addition to the auto parts, they took the Ford van valued at $18,400, a black Mercedes sedan valued at $5,100 and a grey Chevrolet Malibu valued at $4,500, for a total value of $35,800 in vehicles, auto parts and tools, the affidavits say.

Detectives were able to identify all three suspects from security footage, the affidavits say.

The next day, a BYOT employee found the van and the Mercedes at a residence in the 100 block of Hazelwood Avenue and called the sheriff’s office to report the location, according to an affidavit for Perez. While the employee was there, Perez blocked the road with the stolen van to allow the Mercedes to leave the residence and rammed the employee’s vehicle with the van, causing damage to both vehicles before driving away, investigators reported.

According to the affidavits, Cano and Perez confessed during interviews Monday to committing the burglary with Castaneda.

All three were arrested in the past week on a second-degree felony charge of engaging in organized criminal activity with an underlying charge of burglary.

According to a Waco police report and arrest warrant affidavits for Castaneda and Perez, they also burglarized CMC Auto Group, 611 W. Loop 340, on May 11. According to the affidavits, Perez and Castaneda gained broke in by unscrewing bolts on the siding of the building and pulling the metal siding back. Inside, they stole tools and auto parts, and they also burglarized a truck on the property, the affidavits say.

The police report for the incident lists the stolen items as five toolboxes valued at $5,000, two car cleaning tools valued at $500, two batteries valued at $400, a shopping cart valued at $150, a DeWalt air compressor valued at $800 and four truck tires and rims valued at $8,000, for a total value of $14,850.

Perez is also charged with second-degree felony assault with a deadly weapon. Jail records for Perez also list a McLennan County charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle, a Waco charge of state jail felony burglary of a building, a Falls County charge of state jail felony burglary and an Edwards County Charge of third-degree felony smuggling of a person. He remained jailed Wednesday with bond listed at $68,000.

In addition to the organized crime charge, jail records for Castaneda list an alleged parole violation and Waco charges of state jail felony burglary of a building, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. She remained jailed Wednesday with bond listed at $19,000.

Cano’s jail records list the organized crime charge and an alleged parole violation. He remained jailed Wednesday with bond listed at $20,000.

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