Detectives from the Snohomish County Auto Theft (SNOCAT) Task Force have been cooperatively investigating a string of auto thefts from Everett and Marysville since April of this year. The investigation began on April 9, when Everett Police arrested a male suspect near Everett Community College, after he attempted to steal a pickup truck.

Over the months that followed, SNOCAT Detectives worked with investigators from the Everett and Marysville police departments to serve search warrants and recover stolen property from multiple burglaries, as well as locating a number of stolen vehicles and stolen property from a chop shop in the Lake Goodwin and Lake Howard area.

Corey Johnson, a 31-year-old Marysville resident, has been arrested and booked on numerous counts of possession of stolen vehicles, theft of motor vehicles and burglary. Detectives are continuing their investigation and asking for the public’s help in locating another suspect in this string of crimes.

James L. Phillips is a 32-year-old transient living in Snohomish County who has admitted to stealing at least 30 vehicles from the Everett and Marysville area over the last three months, and was a partner of Johnson’s. Phillips is a white male who stands six feet tall, weighs 190 pounds, and has brown hair and hazel eyes. The public is asked to call 911 if they know where Phillips is, or see him, and not attempt to contact him.