Police: law encourages thieves to steal old cars

Posted:

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis-area police say a revised law is encouraging thieves to steal older cars and sell them for scrap, causing a big rise in auto thefts.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/WDGveH ) the law, which took effect last August, made it legal to sell a nonfunctioning vehicle 10 years or older without a title.

St. Louis County police Sgt. Tom Naughton says thieves can make $200 to $500 for each car, at a time when other laws have made it harder to sell stolen wire or gutters for scrap.

The lawmaker who proposed the change, Rep. Kevin Engler of Farmington, rejects the police complaints. He says the law was intended to help rural landowners get rid of junk cars that are abandoned on their property.

All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WGEM. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance with issues relating to the content of this station's public inspection file should contact Administrative Assistant Donna Vancil at 217-228-6617. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, at 888-835-5322 (TTY) or at fccinfo@fcc.gov.