Cold Temps Helping Thieves

CHP MML File Photo

Sonora, CA – It is that time of year when the temperatures dip and many start their vehicles to warm them up and then head back into the warmth of their homes almost giving a thief an open invitation.

It is a common story and one that happened earlier this month to a Sonora woman who left her 1995 Toyota Tacoma truck idling in the driveway. When she came back out it was gone. Luckily, two days later the CHP received a tip that the stolen vehicle was parked at a residence in the Sugar Pine Mobile Home Park in Sugar Pine, off Highway 108.

Officers responded to the home and found the pickup along with 40-year-old Sean Evans of Sonora, who was already working to hide the theft. CHP spokesperson Officer Steve Machado explains, “He had begun painting it black to conceal his original color. He also had removed the original license plates and replaced them with new ones to further conceal the stolen vehicle.”

Evans was arrested for multiple felony charges related to theft. Machado reminds motorists, “Do not warm up the vehicle unattended. But, if you need to make sure that you can secure it to make it a little bit harder for a thief to be able to go through it or actually get in it and steal it .”