In an elaborate ploy to sell a stolen vehicle, a suspect was nabbed by the law enforcement during what could have supposedly been a regular online car sale. The Harris County Constable's Office, under Constable Mark Herman, apprehended Stephanie Castro on the charge of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle after an investigation spurred by an online advertisement for the sale of a stolen vehicle.

Law enforcement swung into action on August 7, when they were tipped off about the illicit sale. Castro was expected to meet with a prospective buyer at a local financial institution on the 12400 block of the North Freeway. The meeting turned out to be an unraveling of her scheme. Constable Herman's office reported on Facebook that after recovering the vehicle, it became clear that it had a fraudulent title and had been subjected to a VIN swap. This underhanded technique involves replacing the vehicle identification number with that of an equivalent vehicle with a clean title, which was not reported as stolen.

Stephanie Castro, whose criminal creativity fell short in the face of vigilant law enforcement, was subsequently booked into the Harris County Jail, with a bond set at $10,000.00 by the 208th District Court. This incident underscores the risks encircling private vehicle sales, where a seemingly bona fide deal can be marred by deception and illegality.

"Citizens please be diligent when conducting similar transactions," urged Constable Mark Herman in a public statement. "This stolen vehicle was cleverly disguised as a legitimate vehicle sale and it was only after a very close inspection of the vehicle that the full scale of the crimes were discovered."