Police release photos of brazen scam suspect’s vehicle

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) detectives on June 19 received photos of video surveillance of the suspect’s vehicle involved in an alleged scam attempt on an elderly couple from Dewey.

The vehicle was described as a white half-ton, four-door 2018 Chevy Silverado pickup truck with a black vinyl bed cover and running boards, YCSO reported.

YCSO detectives said that they have identified at least three additional victims of the alleged scam, which involved two suspects, since it took place on June 18. All victims were 70 years old or older, and some of them paid the suspects, detectives added.

Law enforcement has asked that anyone who’s had contact with the suspects to call YCSO Detective Todd Swaim at 928-554-8605, even if they did not lose any money in the attempted scam.

Detectives say the paper license plate on the white Silverado isn’t legible from surveillance photos. They are hoping someone with plate information on the truck will contact them. They add that the suspects have prowled businesses’ parking lots looking for potential victims whose vehicles may be in disrepair.

This investigation stems from an incident at the Prescott Valley Walmart, 3450 N. Glassford Hill Road, on June 18. One of the suspects allegedly flagged down the elderly couple, whose members are in their 80s, in a Chevy pickup.

YCSO deputies say that the suspect noticed some damage to the couple’s car and asked about fixing it himself. The suspect claimed to be connected to a local Honda dealer and coaxed the couple into allowing him to follow them home.

Once at the couple’s home in Dewey, a second man approached the home and carried the couple’s groceries inside for them. The two men then replaced two body panel clips on the couple’s vehicle, asking for $5,500 in return. A female victim in the couple began to catch on to the scheme and eventually got the suspects to leave without getting any of her money.

The couple described the suspects as being either white or light-skinned Hispanics, both in their 40s. The driver was “huskier” than the passenger and he had a small mustache, the couple added. Both suspects were clean cut, “tidy” and about 6 feet tall with brown hair, the couple said.

To report any information about the suspects, call YCSO at 928-771-3260 or Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232. To submit tips online, visit p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=979# and refer to case No. 19-020626.

Doug Cook is a reporter for The Daily Courier. Follow him on Twitter at @dougout_dc. Email him at dcook@prescottaz.com or call 928-445-3333, ext. 2039.