The frustration continues for Fresno Police. That's because the man accused of being the city's third most prolific auto thief is back on the streets.
Officers arrested 33-year-old Erik Macias Tuesday. He spent just six hours in jail then was released due to overcrowding.
Police say on an average day 10 cars are stolen in the city of Fresno. However, if you add Macias into the mix that number grows substantially.
“He's highly into the use of methamphetamine and we believe to support that habit he's going to steal 3 to 5 cars a night and sometimes more,” said Sgt. Tim Tietjen of the Fresno Police Dept.
Police say the silver lining is that each arrest builds stronger cases against these habitual auto thieves, which will allow the district attorney to eventually send them away to prison for a long time.