OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — Several agencies investigated a chop shop bust in Olive Branch after several stolen vehicles were found.
The owner of Keep It Moving Trucking operated businesses in Desoto and Shelby counties.
When investigators came to the business in Olive Branch part of a seven-month investigation, they found several stolen semi-trucks and trailers.
Chris Yon works next door to this office. The owner leased the space for several months.
Yon says it caught him off guard when several agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, raided the shop next door Thursday.
“Saw trucks being towed out of here, everything in the parking lot towed, the sheriff’s department come and put some stuff on a flatbed trailer and towed away from there,” he said.
Investigators say Steven Cowans and some of his employees took the stolen trucks to his business, where they were dismantled for parts.
People who work in the area didn’t have a clue this was going on.
“It surprised me, this close, this close to my business,” Yon said.
Business owners say what shocks them even more is that Cowans is accused of doing this in other places
So far, Cowans is the only one who was arrested on charges in Mississippi, but additional charges may be coming.
