An alleged large operation to sell stolen goods in the community has been disrupted by the Mesa County Sheriffâs Office.
James âJimmyâ Vaughn Wilcox III, 59, of Grand Junction, owner of A Pawn Shop at 353 Pitkin Ave., was arrested Friday and charged with multiple felonies, including theft charges, Pawnbroker Prohibited Acts and soliciting prostitution.
Rumors of illegal activity at A Pawn have swirled for years, Mesa County Sgt. Wayne Weyler said, but there was no proof of wrongdoing.
That changed when the Sheriffâs Office began to look into allegations that Wilcox was soliciting prostitution from homeless women.
Through that investigation, the Sheriffâs Office executed a search of the pawn shop and noticed pawn slips that had not been filled out properly, which is a crime.