News Release from: Clackamas Co. Sheriff's Office

Sheriff's Office (Happy Valley) investigators arrest 22-year-old car-theft suspect in Beaverton

Posted: March 5, 2010, 11:43 a.m.

Photos:

• Matthew E. Gierlich
• Honda S2000 photos: [ 1 ] [ 2 ]

Please reference CCSO Case # 10-4694

On Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, Eric Schmidt reported that his 2000 Honda S2000 sports car had been stolen from the driveway of his Happy Valley home.

Mr. Schmidt's stolen vehicle was soon recovered -- completely stripped -- in rural Gresham on Feb. 19, 2010. It was determined that the suspect had removed every possible vehicle part and cut the Honda S2000 shell Honda into pieces. This appears to be a profitable trend among car thieves.

On March 1, 2010, Happy Valley Detective Gil Millett received a tip from Clackamas County Deputy Jon Campbell that Beaverton resident and convicted car thief Matthew E. Gierlich, age 22, was believed responsible for the theft of Mr. Schmidt's vehicle, and was now using the stolen parts to rebuild his own Honda S2000 salvage vehicle. (Photos are linked above.)

Detective Millett and Happy Valley Deputy Lon Steinhauer spent the next two days searching for Gierlich and the stolen Honda parts.

On March 3, Gierlich was located in an apartment on Stepping Stone Drive in Beaverton. He was subsequently arrested on parole-violation charges, then lodged in the Clackamas County Jail. (A booking photo is linked above.) Gierlich remains in the Clackamas County Jail on a Corrections hold for Probation Violation -- Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. There is no bail.

Detective Millett then completed an affidavit for a search warrant, and with the assistance of Deputy Steinhauer and other members of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, executed this search warrant on Gierlich's apartment on Stepping Stone Drive --where investigators reportedly recovered the vehicle parts that had originally been stolen from Mr. Schmidt's vehicle.

Mr. Gierlich was on parole for auto theft at the time of the theft of Mr. Schmidt's vehicle -- and is expected to face new automobile-theft charges in Clackamas County.

Mr. Schmidt is very pleased with the investigative efforts and resulting arrest. Mr. Schmidt is available to comment to interested media outlets.

ADDITIONAL TIPS SOUGHT

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information concerning this crime to the contact the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office's confidential Tip Line -- by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online e-mail form. Please reference CCSO Case # 10-4694.

Users can also submit a crime-tip text message to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office from a cell phone. All users have to do is send a text message to CRIMES (274637 on your phone keypad) -- with the keyword CCSO as the first word in the message body. Important Reminder: Please do not send emergency messages using the text messaging system – In case of an emergency, call 911.

Please reference CCSO Case # 10-4694

[END]

Jim Strovink, Detective
Public Information Officer
Clackamas County Sheriff's Office