Bogus vehicle inspection leads to arrest

TRAVIS COUNTY, Tx. (KXAN) - Deputies conducting a surveillance operation at an area auto shop arrested a man who they say was running bogus motor vehicle inspections. In some cases, the vehicles were never even inspected.

Deputies with the Travis County Counterfeit Motor Vehicle Inspection Program began conducting a covert surveillance operation at Mopac Auto Service, located at 8650 North Mopac in April. In an arrest affidavit, investigators detailed three separate instances where vehicle inspector David Lee Castro performed what is referred to as "clean scanning."Clean scanning happens when an inspector enters the information for a vehicle they know will not pass the emissions inspection and uses a clean test vehicle instead to perform the test. In most cases the vehicles that get a pass on inspections never enter the inspections bay.

During the surveillance, the three vehicles that Castro gave clean emissions to were never inspected. Castro was arrested on May 9th. He faces charges of tampering with a governmental record with intent to harm or defraud, a second degree felony.