• Deareion Jamar Clay pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen vehicle during a change of plea hearing in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio.
Who else is involved?
• In addition to Clay, Kahrese Lee, Courage Wolugboms, Jamarkiss Weaver, Quintin Clemons Jr., Andrew Placke Jr. and Stephen Wilhite were also indicted.
• Lee pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and to knowingly operating a chop shop, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Ohio.
• Weaver pleaded guilty to knowing possession of a stolen vehicle and Placke pleaded to conspiracy: to transport stolen vehicles and to possess stolen cars, according to court records.
What are they accused of?
• The group is accused of conspiring to steal vehicles that were allegedly stripped for parts or altered in chop shops before being sold.
• The car theft ring operated in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio from around November 2023 through October 2024, according to court records.
• Lee allegedly operated a chop shop in the 700 block of North Irwin Street in Dayton and Wilhite reportedly had a chop shop in Cullman, Alabama.
• In May 2024, the Dayton chop shop housed more than half a million dollars of car parts and stolen vehicles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Ohio.
• Lee and Wolugboms trained Weaver, Clemons and Clay to use electronic devices to start vehicles without a key and steal them, according to an indictment.
• They would then present the stolen vehicles to Lee and Wolugboms for payment.
• “If defendant Lee and Wolugboms did not want the vehicle, defendants Weaver, Clemons and Clay either found another buyer for it or joyrode in it until the vehicle crashed or was discovered by law enforcement,” according to court documents.
• Weaver, Clemons, Clay and Placke allegedly transported the stolen vehicles between chop shops and other locations.
• The group stole vehicles from car dealerships in Milford, Mechanicsburg and Greendale, Indiana, according to court records.
• Lee and others reportedly tried to steal a Dodge Viper, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger worth more than $200,000 combined from a dealership in Indiana.
• Investigators found them with the vehicles in Alabama and the stolen vehicles were returned to Indiana.
• Lee and the others allegedly put a tracking device on one of the vehicles. Lee returned to Indiana and tried to steal the vehicle again, but was detained by law enforcement officers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
What happens next?
• Lee, Weaver, Placke and Clay are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29, Nov. 13, Nov. 25 and Jan. 13 respectively.
• Wolugboms’ plea hearing will be on Oct. 15 and Wilhite’s trial is scheduled for Nov. 10.
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