Chop shop charges filed against 2 men

Elgin police say a chop-shop operation was broken up with the recent arrests of two men.

Miguel Caceres, 22 of 621 Franklin Blvd., Elgin, was charged Monday with aggravated possession of stolen motor vehicles and aggravated possession of converted vehicles, police said.

Jose Rodriguez, 31, of 414 Summit St., Elgin, was charged last week with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, police said.

Stolen cars are dismantled at chop shops and their pieces sold off individually.

On Oct. 24, a detective from the Kane County Auto Theft Task Force searched Caceres' home on Franklin and found two stolen vehicles in the garage, police said.

One was a black 1999 Honda Civic reported stolen on Oct. 19 from St. Charles and one was a red 1999 Honda Civic stolen around the same time from Elgin.

On Monday, Elgin officers found a red 1991 Honda Civic cut into two pieces at a home at 604 Covered Bridge Drive, police said.

Police said the 1991 red Honda was reported stolen in Elgin on Oct. 10. One piece of the car was in the driveway; the other piece was on the back of a pickup with Wisconsin license plates.

Caceres was held in the Kane County jail on $1,000 bond with a Nov. 15 court date at the Kane County Judicial Center. Rodriguez also was held in the Kane County jail, on a $10,000 bond with a Nov. 8 court date at the Kane County Judicial Center.