Two more arrests this week in an ongoing investigation into a convoluted auto theft scheme in the Pacific Northwest were the result of a broad involvement by many law enforcement agencies, according to a report in the Great Falls Tribune.
Mike Martell and John Mattheisen, both residents of Great Falls, made their initial appearences in Cascade County Justice Court on Wednesday, facing theft and accountability charges, the paper said. Both are accused of being part of a wide-ranging auto theft ring that stole vehicles from Great Falls and sold them for drugs or cash in Spokane, Washington, and new information in the Tribune indicates that both are alleged to have stolen cars from the same auto dealer.
The paper reports that, between the two of them, Mattheisen and Martell are accused of being responsible for nearly $44,000 in stolen property, which includes three cars, a motorcycle and some tires. One affidavit, according to the Tribune, alleges that Martell allowed another suspect to steal his girlfriend's Chevy Tahoe in order to settle an outstanding debt. Another says that Martell was responsible for providing another vehicle to accomplices, which was later used to smuggle drugs between Spokane and Great Falls.
Mattheisen and Martell are the first two people arrested from the Great Falls end of the investigation, though several other people have been arrested in Spokane, the Tribune reports.
The progress made by law enforcement in cracking down on these car thefts, experts say, raises the possibility of improved auto insurance rates for Great Falls residents, thanks to the sudden absence of an apparently well-organized and prolific group of criminals.