LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A Lawrenceville man has been arrested for being in possession of a stolen vehicle, altering the VIN and possessing a fictitious title.



Ion Randol King, 43, of Lawrenceville, was charged with felony theft by receiving, possession of a vehicle with an altered VIN and a forged certificate of title. He is currently incarcerated at the Gwinnett County Jail.

On Tuesday, a detective assigned to the Motor Vehicle Theft Unit was following up on an unrelated case at the intersection of Still Hill Lane and Still Ridge Lane in unincorporated Lawrenceville. While he was driving through, he saw a black Ford F150 pickup truck parked in front of 1440 Still Ridge Lane. The license plate on the back of the truck was a fraudulent "US DOT" plate claiming to be assigned to a US Department of Transportation vehicle.

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The detective did some research and discovered that that type of license plate was sometimes used by people claiming to be sovereign citizens. The owner of the vehicle came outside and met with the detective. The owner was uncooperative.

When the detective observed the VIN through the windshield, he immediately identified it as fraudulent. When the true VIN was found, the detective learned that the vehicle was previously reported stolen through the McDonough Police Department. It belonged to Enterprise Rental. The detective obtained a search warrant to seek additional evidence in the case. As he was going through the home, he found a white Toyota Sienna minivan parked in the garage. The minivan also had a fraudulent US DOT license plate displayed on the back.

As of now, the Toyota minivan is not listed as stolen, though the lien may be outstanding, police said.

On Friday, March 8, the lead detective visited the wrecker yard where the truck was being stored. Using tools, he was able to remove the fraudulent VIN plate from under the windshield. Once the fraudulent VIN plate was removed, the true VIN was displayed underneath. The vehicle will be approved for release to Enterprise Rental.