20 years after it was stolen, antique Ford turns up in Washington

A 1934 Ford that was stolen during a burglary in Stanislaus County more than 20 years ago turned up in Washington state on Tuesday.

Someone was trying to register the vehilce but a check of the VIN revealed it had been reported stolen as part of a 1997 burglary, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office.

The Washington State Patrol tried to contact the owner from the phone number he listed when first filing the report but it was disconnected, according to Stanislaus County Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Letras.

They contacted the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office and detectives from the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force found the owner living in Riverbank.

The owner told detectives the Ford had been in his family since he was 13 years old, Letras said.

It is not believed that the person registering the vehicle had any knowledge the vehicle was stolen.

This story was originally published July 11, 2018 at 10:00 AM.