SLIDELL – Police have arrested one Houston man in the theft of 124 wheels and tires from a Slidell car dealership, and more arrests are expected soon.
Slidell Police Department officers traveled to Houston to investigate the April 27 theft, resulting in the May 9 arrest of thirty-nine-year-old Eric Summage, according to chief Randy Fandal.
A warrant has been issued for 44-year-old Riley Richardson, who also goes by “Rilo,” which Richardson has tattooed across his neck, Fandal said.
Both men are thought to be part of a group of sophisticated thieves that have targeted a string of car dealerships across the I-10 corridor in the south, resulting in millions of dollars in damages.
The theft at the Matt Bowers Chevrolet dealership in Slidell targeted 31 vehicles and cost the dealership at least $120,000, Fandal said.
Summage has been charged with felony theft over 100,000. More warrants will soon be issued in addition to Richardson’s warrant, according to Fandal.
The thieves made a big mistake when they decided to target Slidell, Fandal said.
“One message has been made very, very clear to these individuals,” Fandal said. “Don’t come to Slidell to commit your crimes.”
The best thing for Richardson and the other suspects to do is to turn themselves in, he said.