Greeley woman indicted for involvement in second auto theft ring

Amanda Jo Johnson, identified in July by Weld County authorities for her alleged role in an auto theft ring, was named earlier this week as a player in a second auto theft operation. 

Johnson, 39, faces 53 felony charges in the first case. She and Jose Luis Pizarro are accused of stealing from auto dealerships by presenting fake driver's licenses for test drives and then never returning the vehicles. The alleged thefts happened during the first six months of 2021 in Larimer and Weld counties. 

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The vehicles that were stolen by the pair totaled more than $180,000 in value, according to the Weld County District Attorney's Office. 

While in jail awaiting a November court date in that case, Johnson was named Monday in a new indictment as one of five participants who stole cars from private northern Colorado owners beginning in April of 2021 until she was arrested in February of this year.

Johnson, along with Austin Ray Carlholm, Ryan Donald Yarwood, Hector Rivera, and Jacob Alexander Martinez, faces 147 counts in that second indictment. 

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The five are accused of stealing 49 vehicles in that second indictment. All but five of the stolen vehicle were Kia and Hyundai models. Most were taken from store and apartment parking lots, then sold by the alleged thieves.

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In both cases, the defendants are charged with criminal racketeering. 

Johnson, according to an online search of Colorado court records, presently has seven active criminal cases between Larimer and Weld counties. 

Colorado was ranked highest in the nation for auto thefts in 2021. It has continued to hold that distinction through the first six months of 2022.