HOUSTON – Police arrested a man they said may have been stealing cars and selling them to unsuspecting buyers.
A traffic stop led to the discovery of an elaborate scheme and police said Nicholas Butkovich was behind it.
"He changed the VIN on the dash, and got a title from New York. We believe that to be fictitious also," said Jim Woods with the Houston Police Department's auto theft division.
Police said Butkovich stole a white Mercedes-Benz from the Archer Volkswagen dealership on the Southwest Freeway on July 11. Earlier that day, he walked in asking to test drive it.
"A customer used a sleight-of-hand trick to take the key fob and switch it with a bad key fob and give it back to the salesperson," said Jeremy Ortego with Archer Volkswagen.
They said he came back later that night and drove it off the lot. Police said Butkovich changed the VIN number, got a fake title and on Tuesday, he posted this ad on Craigslist selling the car for $17,900.
"We strongly suspect since he's been in the business, done this and been arrested before in a different state, he may have stole other cars," said Woods.
Butkovich served time in an Oregon prison for similar crimes and he's wanted in California. They believe he may have done it in Houston before.
"If you end up finding out that what you bought is bad and you get a ticket from police, you may not have much of a recourse," said Woods.
As police search for victims, the Archer Dealership has a message for people in the market for a car.
"You have to be careful anytime you're buying something, especially when it sounds too good to be true because a lot of times it is," said Ortego.
Police said if you bought a car from Butkovich, call them so they can check if your car is legitimate.
