LOS ANGELES — Two men faced felony and misdemeanor charges on Monday, December 9, for stealing a portion of the car that crashed and killed actor Paul Walker.
A release from the Los Angles District Attorney states that 18-year-old Jameson Brooks Witty and 25-year-old Anthony Edward Janow have been charged with one felony count of grand theft of personal property and two misdemeanor counts each of destroying evidence and resisting, obstructing and delaying a peace officer.
Witty was arrested at his home in Tujunga following an investigation that tried to determine who stole a portion of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that crashed and killed Walker and his friend Roger Rodas. Janow, who is, at the printing of this story, out of the state, is expected to surrender to authorities on Tuesday, December 10 at the San Fernando Branch of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
According the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Porsche was loaded onto a flatbed tow truck around 10:00 p.m. on November 30 after an on-scene investigation into the crash was conducted. The tow truck was traveling eastbound on Newhall Ranch Road and onto McBean Parkway, with several vehicles following it. At the red light of the intersection, a witness claimed to see a man exit one of the vehicles, grab a piece of the car that sat on the bed of the truck, then drove off. The tow truck driver then reported the incident to the Sherriff’s Department.
Investigators identified a suspect and executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home in Tujunga, where they arrested Witty as he was leaving. He was booked at the Sheriff’s station in Santa Clarita. The piece that was stolen was found at a separate residence in Canyon Country, which turned out to be a red T-top roof panel from the Porsche. According to the District Attorney, Witty and Janow had been told by a sheriff’s deputy that they were not allowed to take any part of the vehicle.
Witty had a bail amount of $20,000 when he was booked on December 6. He posted bail and is due back in court on January 3, 2014. If both men are convicted, they face a maximum of four years and six months in jail.
Witty posted a photo of the part he and Janow had allegedly taken on his Instagram account, but the photo no longer appears on the account. On December 8, Witty placed a screenshot of a typed apology for having stolen the part, citing a fondness for Walker and a desire to create a memorial out of the stolen part as the reason for his alleged crime.
