SAN ANTONIO - A 19-year-old identified as Joseph Ybarra has been arrested and charged with three counts of vehicle theft after a pilot with the Department of Public Safety, flying overhead, was alerted to a stolen motorcycle on the ground below, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit stated that the motorcycle was equipped with LoJack, a stolen vehicle locator, which sent a message to the DPS agent in the sky.
The agent said he noticed a man and the bike both lying on the ground near Ware Drive and Roosevelt Avenue on April 16.
He said the bike was being towed by an SUV, but it tipped over when the SUV made a turn because the tow strap was too short.
The affidavit stated that investigators later determined the man with the motorcycle-- which had been reported stolen that same day-- was Ybarra, and that his girlfriend was driving the SUV.
During a post arrest interview, Ybarra confessed to stealing the motorcycle and said he planned to sell it on eBay, the affidavit stated.
DPS investigators went to his home a few days later to follow up on the case.
They said during a search of Ybarra’s property, they found two more stolen motorcycles in a backyard storage shed, the affidavit stated.
Ybarra told them that he knew those bikes also were stolen, but that he was only storing them for someone else, the affidavit stated.
He was booked into the Bexar County Jail on Thursday.
