COON RAPIDS, Minn. – (June 18, 2015) – After stealing dozens of cars, 51 year old St. Paul man, James Chester Jennings, was sentenced to 45 months in prison on five counts of auto theft with $73,000 in restitution. The charges stem from an incident back in May 2014 when Jennings was caught stealing a bait car set up by the Coon Rapids Police Department.
The Anoka County Attorney’s Office released a statement saying that Jennings would steal cars that were left on the side of the road or in parking lots using a flatbed tow truck, then he would bring the vehicles to a recycling center in Anoka. Investigators have confirmed that during a five week period, Jennings stole at least 35 vehicles, but is suspected of many more.
