Police investigate reports of stolen vehicles at Salem towing company

Oregon State Police are investigating reports of stolen vehicles being held at locations associated with a Salem-based towing company.

Members of the Oregon State Police's Major Crime Section served search warrants Friday at two locations in North Salem and one location in Marion County near West Stayton Road. All three locations are associated with Gone Towing. 

State police officials said they are conducting an investigation based on information that stolen vehicles were being held at the three locations. 

Gone Towing LLC was registered as a business with the Oregon Secretary of State's office in July 2017. Michael Alan Selmer and Sierra Akers are listed as its owners. 

Sierra Akers said the accusations stem from a dissatisfied customer who didn’t want to pay for the repairs, adding that her business has been involved in a civil dispute with the customer for the past year.

The phone number for Gone Towing matches the number from Mike's Auto Repair and Towing, which was investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice in 2014. Selmer also was listed with the state as an owner of Mike's Auto.

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Selmer, 39, a registered sex offender, has a long history of theft and sexual abuse charges stemming back to 2002.

He was convicted of vehicle theft, first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse in 2008.

More recent charges of vehicle theft, second-degree theft, forgery, first-degree theft and identity theft were dismissed as part of a civil compromise in 2015. 

Anyone with information regarding Gone Towing is asked to call Detective Barrientos at 503-378-3387.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth