Merced man, girlfriend accused of operating ‘chop shop’

At least four stolen vehicles were seized from a Merced-area home that investigators believe was operating as a “chop shop,” the Merced County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday.

Danny Coronado, 33, and his girlfriend, Maria J. Hernandez, 32, were arrested Thursday during a traffic stop on Highway 99 near the Atwater Expressway, Detective-Sgt. Chuck Hale said.

Coronado allegedly was driving a stolen car and Hernandez was a passenger in the vehicle. Sheriff’s detectives were investigating the theft of two ATVs that was reported Wednesday on Bailey Avenue.

A witness spotted a vehicle that matched the description of one used in the ATV theft and deputies put the car under surveillance on Thursday, Hale said.

Investigators watched the vehicle for about 30 minutes before two people, later identified as Coronado and Hernandez, drove away and eventually were arrested, deputies said.

A subsequent search of their home on Ashby Road led investigators to two more vehicles that had been reported stolen in recent weeks and an RV and camping trailer that also had been reported stolen, Hale said.

Coronado and Hernandez were booked into the Merced County jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property and operating a chop shop. Hernandez posted bail and was released a few hours later. Coronado posted bail and was released from custody Monday, according to booking records.

Coronado has been arrested several times over the last year on a series of drug and theft-related allegations. He most recently was arrested April 25 on suspicion of residential burglary, possession of stolen property and drug possession, according to jail records.

He also was arrested April 1 and released on misdemeanor drug allegations and driving without a license. He was jailed in October 2015 on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to booking records.

He has pleaded not guilty to the gun charge and is due back in court June 6, according to Merced County Superior Court records.

Hale said detectives are continuing to investigate the alleged chop shop. He said the two ATVs have not been found.

“At the conclusion of this investigation,” Hale said, “the case will be forwarded to the (Merced County) District Attorney’s Office for (review).”

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Merced man, girlfriend accused of operating ‘chop shop’."