Police: Lee stole cars, sold for scrap

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - One of the Mobile Police Department's Most Wanted, and a Fugitive Files suspect, has been arrested and charged with 13 felonies.

Authorities said Henry Lee committed crimes in Mobile, Prichard and in the county. Authorities tracked Lee down in Alabama Village, but not before he caused several victims a lot of stress.

Trading scrap metal can be a lucrative business. But Mobile Police said Lee wasn't playing by the rules when he was doing it.

"He was stealing cars and taking them to scrapyards, and selling them as if he owned the vehicles," Officer Christopher Levy with the Mobile Police Department said.

Police said they began investigating Lee after a violent robbery.

"Actually, back on June 16, he was breaking into a vehicle when the owner walked up and confronted him while he was inside the vehicle. He produced a handgun and robbed the owner of the vehicle. During that robbery he actually fired a shot into the air," Levy added.

A short time later they said Lee took advantage of a woman in distress.

"We had a lady who was driving down I-10 and her car broke down. She pulled over to the side of the road and went for help. When she returned to her car it was gone. That car then turned up to a scrapyard in Eight Mile and he was the one that brought it there," Levy said.

"At that time we quit buying anything from him," Alvin Dean with Dean's Scrap Metal added.

Dean said his records were able to help link Lee to the thefts.

"We take a copy of the person's drivers' license, the vehicle that was pulling it and identification and everything. We send that to the Mobile Sheriff's Office each day as we buy them. For some reason if it comes up hot or something against it, the sheriff's office knows it immediately. One did come up and the sheriff's office came up here, we gave them a list of what he had sold us," Dean added.

Police said Lee sold at least 18 cars to the scrapyard in Eight Mile, and was able to get a few hundred dollars per car. They said he did it by giving false information. With an arrest history of similar crimes dating back 10 years, authorities said they're glad to get Lee off the streets.

Police said they've seen an increase in vehicle thefts. To help avoid being a victim, do not leave your car unlocked or with the keys in it at any time.