LAWRENCE — A former Lawrence High School basketball star has been arrested in connection with an ongoing police investigation into stolen cars.
Investigators with the Lawrence Police Department's auto theft unit say Joe Burgos, 22, of 61 Stearns Ave., was running a "chop shop" out of his uncle's garage at 57 Sunset Ave.
Armed with an arrest warrant developed from stolen car parts seized from Burgos' home previously, police pulled Burgos out of class Friday at Salem State College, where he is a student. He was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle, receiving stolen property over $250, and receiving stolen property under $250.
Burgos was one of the stars of the 2005 Lawrence High basketball team — considered the best in the school's history. He helped lead the Lancers to a 21-3 record and within two wins of a state title. He also helped pace the school's volleyball team to a state title before going on to start for several years with the Endicott College men's basketball team.
But in recent months, police say, Burgos became a player in crime and attracted the attention of the city's auto theft unit.
In early December, an investigation into local "chop shops" — where cars are dismantled and the parts then sold illegally — got investigators looking closely at Burgos.
Lawrence police detectives Jaime Brito, Mike Simard and Ryan Guthrie followed a tip to Burgos' home. There, they found a set of rims and tires that had been stripped from a car stolen from Lowell over Thanksgiving weekend and driven to Lawrence, where it was left on the street.
Burgos told police he bought the parts off Craigslist, but couldn't provide the name of the seller or the e-mail address used in the transaction.
Police arrested Burgos on Dec. 11 and charged him with receiving stolen property over $250. Detectives learned that Burgos was using his uncle's garage at 57 Sunset Ave. to work on his cars.
Burgos' uncle gave police permission to search the garage, and then learned that Burgos had put a lock on the door without his knowledge or consent, according to a police report.
The Fire Department was called in to cut the lock off the door. Once they gained access to the garage, police recovered more evidence, which they used in Friday's arrest of Burgos.
"The garage seemed to serve as a chop shop for Mr. Burgos, as we recovered a Honda stolen the night before and the parts to a vehicle stolen several days prior, as well as the remnants of cars being worked on in the garage," Brito wrote in his report.
Brito said the Honda was stolen from Methuen, and the car parts — the hood, trunk, driver and passenger doors, fenders and dashboard — were stripped from a car stolen in Andover.
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