Police Arrest 2 Men In Connection To Chop Shop Inside Tulsa Home

Tulsa Police detectives bust a chop shop running out of a midtown Tulsa home.

Investigators say two men took over an older man's house while he was away in another state. Detectives say this investigation is unique, they say the car thieves broke into a home near 41st and Sheridan, trashed it, put tires and wood in front of the doors to block anyone from coming in, then used the garage as a chop shop.

They believe Adrian Moreno and Jimmy Jenkins had been living there for a few months.

Police say they would have never known what was happening inside the home without the help of some alert neighbors, who noticed suspicious activity during the day and night and called the police.

"They were essentially squatting inside his residence, using his residence as a chop shop. They were bringing in stolen vehicles, taking them into the back yard, into the garage, and parting these vehicles out,” said Lieutenant Chase Calhoun with Tulsa Police.

Calhoun says an elderly man owns the home but has been living out of state. He says the homeowner doesn't know the suspects and no one was supposed to be living at the house.

"The activities they were seeing from this house just doesn't match this neighborhood. It is very inconsistent and suspicious,” said Calhoun.

Adrian Moreno and Jimmy Jenkins were arrested, accused of running the chop shop at the house. Investigators searched the house again today and found another stolen truck, completely stripped, and a homemade paint station where the doors and hood were being repainted, likely so the car could be sold again.

“You don't typically see chop shops like this in neighborhoods like this, especially the circumstances where they've basically squatted in a residence and taken over a house that does not belong to them,” said Calhoun.

 Calhoun says criminals are always coming up with different ways to commit crimes, which unfortunately means more victims.

“You have victims of those stolen cars, you also have the victim of this residence who is an elderly man, lives out of state, thinks his home is secure here and in reality, his house has been destroyed on the inside and people are using it to commit crimes,” said Calhoun.

Calhoun says he hopes this sends a message to others that if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood, call the police. Records show both Jenkins and Moreno have spent time in prison for stolen cars, drugs, and other convictions.