A 52-year-old Oregon man's illegal towing operation has been clipped by the law. Joseph Beard, affiliated with Maters Auto Recycling, has been convicted on multiple counts related to auto theft after an investigation by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and local police uncovered his role in an illegal towing ring.

Beard's day of reckoning came on April 11, following his January 5 arrest in what has been dubbed 'Operation MistleTow', a sting operation aiming to take down automobile theft rings. As per KPTV, amongst charges, Beard was nabbed for the unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, and first-degree theft—wrapping up a spree of criminal activity that left car owners in his dust.

The Portland Police Bureau has revealed that Beard's operation, Maters Auto Recycling, flipped about 80 vehicles between late August and November 2023 to Rivergate Scrap Metal—a North Portland junkyard—without adequate records or legal procurement. Citing an investigation, KOIN reported that none of the cars Beard sold seemed to have come from auctions or government requests, many featuring falsified vehicle identification numbers.

The case that may have rolled the whole illegal operation into the spotlight involved a woman who confronted Beard after witnessing him towing away her legally parked car last December. According to KGW, she followed him and was able to recover her vehicle before he slipped away, triggering a series of events that would eventually expose the breadth of the criminal undertaking.