His ride to meet his probation officer got Modesto man another ride. Back to jail.

Sound advice from the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force: “When you go check in with your Probation officer, please don’t drive a stolen vehicle to your appointment.”

The words of wisdom came too late for Jason Jones of Modesto, who did just that on Tuesday, authorities said.

StanCATT officers were patrolling the area of Needham Street and Virginia Avenue when they saw a 1997 Honda Accord and ran a records check. It revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen to Ceres police.

As the driver continued on through downtown, the StanCATT unit kept it under surveillance. When it stopped at 11th and H streets, officers approached the driver. Jones, 33, told the StanCATT investigators he was going to meet his probation officer. Probation has an office at 801 11th.

Jones was confirmed to be on probation for robbery. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of auto theft and receiving stolen property, as well as probation violation.

“Probation was notified that Jones would be missing his appointment,” StanCATT reported.

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 10:53 AM.