ATLANTA — Police are searching for a man they said is the mastermind of a ring that has stolen wheels off cars all over the metro area. DeAnthony Stephens was supposed to appear in court on theft charges last week, but he was a no-show. Warrants have been issued for his arrest.
Channel 2's Tom Jones spoke with a woman who police said had her car's wheels stolen by Stephens.
Telyncia McCollum said she had just gotten her 2015 RT Charger.
"It was something that I wanted, the color that I wanted, the package that I wanted, and I waited three months," she said.
It was her dream car. Then in 2016, she excited her home in Cobb County and noticed something strange about her car.
"My brand-new Charger is sitting on two blocks," she explained.
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The wheels were gone, and so were her brake pads. "You feel like you worked your behind off for nothing," she said.
Cobb County police later connected the theft of her wheels to Stephens. Officers charged Stephens with at least 25 other cases of wheel thefts and entering autos. Stephens also has cases in Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties, as well as Atlanta.
Officers said he is the ringleader of a group that has plagued the metro area, so much so, he has been charged with racketeering.
Stephens has missed court appearances and warrants have been issued for his arrest in multiple counties.
McCollum's husband said his wife's car had to sit for more than two weeks without wheels.
"Not only was it an embarrassment, but it was the fact we had no means to get around," Devin McCollum said.
They want the person responsible off the streets as soon as possible.
"I just hope they catch him because I know I don't want anyone else to feel the way that I feel," Telyncia Mccollum said.
Contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS if you have any information that could lead to Stephens' arrest.
Cox Media Group
