RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A total of 12 cars and dozens of additional car parts were found in Riverview at a home where a man and a woman are believed to have been running a chop shop.
"A chop shop is where you dismantle vehicles that are stolen and then sell the parts. I have never done that before," Jessica Vollrath said.
The 47-year-old and her boyfriend Joshua Scott, 26, are being charged with grand theft auto and operating a chop shop out of a home. Deputies said they got a tip about stolen bikes.
"They pretty quickly found what looked like two stolen motorcycles right there on the premises and once they got a search warrant, they found 10 additional cars on top of stacks and stacks of car parts," Crystal Clark with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies said they found doors, windows, and car bumpers in the back yard.
"All just kind of sitting there like they were planning to sell them out of the shop," Clark said.
But, Vollrath said the parts are from a car parts business she no longer runs. She also didn't know the motorcycles were stolen.
"I do have cars but I don't have anything up for sale. My husband, who has passed away, left me with quite a bit of things from our business. When I first looked the bike up there were no records of it being stolen or wrecked or anything. They did bring the paperwork with them that showed certificate of title, registration, and proof of insurance," Vollrath said.
Jessica said the charges she's facing aren't fair and she will pursue legal action.
"It makes you look like a lunatic and I mean, I'm just a normal everyday person just trying to get my life back together," Vollrath said.
Hillsborough County Code Enforcement also responded and advised that the property was already in violation and had approximately $385,000 in outstanding fines.
Detectives are working to find the possible owners of the vehicles found at the property. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Hillsborough Country Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
You can find the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's crime stats map here.
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