A Norfolk man has pleaded guilty to felony charges after being caught driving a stolen vehicle that was flagged by the city’s Flock license plate recognition system.
Shaun Mitchell, 41, admitted Tuesday in court that he knew the 2017 Subaru Outback he was driving had been stolen when police arrested him last May. The vehicle had been reported stolen on May 23, 2024, and three days later, the Flock system pinged an alert near Chesapeake and Lafayette boulevards.
An officer spotted Mitchell behind the wheel of the Subaru at a gas station. When Mitchell saw the officer, he took off on foot. After about 15 minutes of searching, officers found him hiding inside a wooden box near Grandy Avenue. He had the stolen vehicle’s key fob in his pocket.
Mitchell told police he was aware the car had been stolen—he said the person who gave him the key fob told him so. Prosecutors charged him with receiving a stolen car, a felony equivalent to grand larceny, which carries significant penalties in Virginia, especially given his prior felony record.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said the law treats receiving a stolen vehicle the same as stealing it. “Mr. Mitchell should have had nothing to do with the car he was in, but he chose to put himself in this situation,” Fatehi said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue equitable and measured justice.”
There was no agreement on Mitchell’s sentence, though the Commonwealth has acknowledged that he accepted responsibility, which may factor into the judge’s decision. Judge Robert B. Rigney scheduled sentencing for July 25.