DUBOIS – A Falls Creek man has been charged with several felonies for helping to cut up a stolen vehicle.
Howard Martin Cox Jr., 32, is charged with F2 owning, operating or conducting a chop shop, F2 criminal conspiracy, two F3 counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.
The charges stem from an incident in March after police were notified that a vehicle was being taken apart in Brady Township.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, a witness told police that Jeremiah Gallaher asked if he could park a trailer and car on their property.
She said he was given permission to do this because her husband knew him. The next day, Gallaher came back with Cox and a third unknown male.
The three of them then allegedly cut the vehicle into pieces. She believed they were cutting it to sell for scrap.
When a trooper responded, he identified the vehicle as a 1990 Toyota Celica that had been stolen and realized the trailer had also been reported stolen.
In an interview with police, Cox said Gallaher asked him and a third male known only to him as “Rick” if they wanted to help him cut the car apart and sell it for scrap.
Cox’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 2. Gallaher is facing the same charges, but his case is listed as inactive in online court documents.