Oakland County business owner charged with auto theft, forgery

A Metro Detroit business owner and youth mentor is now facing multiple felony charges, following an auto theft investigation in Oakland County on Monday.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Mark Orlando Watts is charged with three counts of receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle and one count of license plate forgery.

Investigators say the charges follow an auto theft unit investigation in which detectives recovered multiple vehicles and documentation linked to altered titles.

Neighbors in the Lathrup Village community say they were caught off guard by what they saw when law enforcement moved in.

"I looked out my front window, and there were police cars in the front lawn across the street from my house. It was shocking. I opened up my front door, and there were at least 12 to 15 cars piled up right in front of my house. That never happens here in Lathrup Village," said neighbor Sean McClanaghan.

Watts' attorney tells CBS News Detroit that he denies the allegations and is cooperating, asking the public to reserve judgment as the case moves forward.

Neighbors say the arrest is hard to process, given what they have seen over the years from the local business owner and founder of a youth mentoring program.

"He's done a lot of really good things for the community. He's got an organization called Boys to Men that helps out younger youth. I think he's been a very vocal member of the community," said neighbor Mark Scott.

"We're all shocked. We've all had little interaction with him. We didn't know him really well, but we're shocked to see this happen," said McClanaghan.

During the arraignment, Magistrate Judge Melissa King set a $25,000 personal bond with conditions including no weapons and no illegal activity.

Watts' next court date is set for May 18.