The suspect allegedly admitted to using paintball guns to disable cameras before rolling the luxury cars off the lots.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio man has been sentenced to four years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) after admitting to stealing two Corvettes off dealership lots in Boerne.
Kendall County officials said the case stems from an investigation that opened in September 2024, when Boerne Police responded to Mark Motors following reports of suspicious activity involving one of their luxury vehicles being removed from the lot.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed a man “pushing a vehicle across a nearby field” shortly before police were notified.
It didn’t take long for investigators to locate a truck and car hauler trailer pulling onto the 100 block of Scenic Loop Road before police initiated a traffic stop.
The driver was identified as 36-year-old Jose Israel Barrera Jr. and he allegedly told police the trailer was locked as he was transferring a Corvette he had picked up in Midland.
Responding deputies had recognized the same truck and trailer from earlier that night, allegedly having seen them parked near Mark Motors.
An inspection of the trailer revealed the $89,000 gray 2009 Chevrolet Corvette reported stolen from Mark Motors. The vehicle’s right windshield had been busted out and wet grass was found on the front bumper, causing police to believe it was the same vehicle seen being push across a field in the surveillance video.
Officers also noticed the trailer carrying the stolen Corvette had a license plate that did not match its description, and the trailer’s VIN had been obscured with fresh paint. It was later discovered the trailer was also reported missing, but this time out of Waco.
When police attempted to arrest Barrera, he allegedly resisted and attempted to run away before being caught shortly after.
A search of the truck itself led to the discovery of a Springfield Hellcat handgun, a paintball gun loaded with pink paintballs, large bolt cutters and a box of black rubber gloves.
During a follow-up interview with detectives, officials say Barrera admitted to being involved in stealing a $91,900 2011 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 from Jaguar of Boerne between Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, 2024.
Detectives said Barrera further admitted the use of the pink paintballs were to deactivate security cameras as he used an ATV to push the luxury cars off the lots and into the trailer.
Barrera was sentenced to fours years in prison on two counts of theft of a motor vehicle ($30,000–$150,000) and unlawful carrying of a weapon.