PRESCOTT, Arizona — A local tire shop in Prescott is struggling to recover after a $7,000 theft that struck at the heart of their small business, but the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office stepped in to stop the crime on April 5, 2025. The thief, 38-year-old Jose Armando Dorame, left the community shaken, showing how crime can hurt the trust that holds small towns together. On March 16, 2025, a deputy arrived at the shop after tires worth $7,000 were stolen. Security footage showed a truck with Sonora, Mexico license plates loading up the tires and driving off. By the time the deputy got there, the truck was already near the Mexico border, making it seem like the thief had slipped away.
The shop owner was heartbroken. Losing $7,000 isn’t just a number—it’s months of hard work, money that could have paid for new tools or kept the doors open during a slow month. In a town like Prescott, where small businesses are the backbone, this theft felt personal. Customers who depend on the shop for affordable tires were left waiting, and employees worried about their jobs. The owner shared, “We just want to feel safe again,” a feeling many in Prescott now echo. For weeks, there were no leads, and the shop owner feared they’d never see justice, a fear that made every late-night noise outside the shop feel like another threat.
Hope came on April 5, 2025, when Prescott Valley Police Department spotted the same truck at another tire shop in Prescott Valley. Dorame was there, calmly loading tires into a trailer as if he had every right to be. The Sheriff’s Deputy and Prescott Valley P.D. moved in fast, confronting him. Dorame admitted to taking the tires, claiming he had permission to sell them at his shop in Mexico. But the shop owner was clear: Dorame had no right to take anything. The lie didn’t hold up, and he was arrested for theft, burglary, and fraudulent schemes. The arrest brought some relief, but the damage was done, and the community of Prescott is still picking up the pieces.
This wasn’t the first crime to hit the area. Just a week earlier, on March 29, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office detained two men in Yavapai County for siphoning gallons of stolen gasoline, finding 55-gallon drums in their vehicles. These incidents point to a growing problem of thefts targeting small towns near the border, where thieves like Dorame think they can escape justice by crossing into Mexico. The Sheriff’s Office has been working hard to crack down, using security footage and tips from the community to track down suspects. They spent weeks following leads on Dorame, piecing together his movements between Prescott and Prescott Valley, a process that showed how determined they are to protect their town.
For now, Prescott is trying to heal. The tire shop owner is grateful for the Sheriff’s quick action but still feels the sting of betrayal. Other business owners in the area are on edge, wondering if they’ll be next. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about similar thefts to come forward, hoping to stop more crimes from hurting the community that Dorame targeted. In a town that prides itself on looking out for each other, this theft is a reminder of how fragile that sense of safety can be.
