From April Dembosky:
Placer County Sheriff's deputies on Friday recovered a van stolen from Auburn, bringing the department's weekly tally of recovered cars to eight.
"The amount of stolen vehicles is usually constant," said Lt. Jeffrey Ausnow of the Placer County Sheriff's Department. "What's unusual is that we're catching so many."
The majority of cars have been stolen in the city of Auburn, which has seen a slight uptick in its theft rate; others were taken from Grass Valley and rural Placer County. Some had the keys left in them, others the windows were broken and hotwired. The cars appear to have been stolen for transportation use or joy riding, as none were found stripped for parts, Ausnow said.
The latest car was taken Thursday when an Auburn woman started her van, then went back inside while the engine warmed. The van was gone when she returned a few minutes later.
Sheriff's deputies recovered the van Friday, after a jogger spotted three youths unloading furniture from it in a field. The driver, whose name is not being released because he is a minor, was booked at Juvenile Hall in Auburn. The other two, also minors, were released to their parents.
Another car, reported stolen from Grass Valley, was recovered Thursday night when a sheriff's deputy noticed a man driving it in north Auburn. After a 20-mile chase, Joseph Golden (left photo), 28, of Auburn was apprehended.
Deputies found another six cars this week, without any changes to their recovery tactics.
"It's hard work by the patrol deputies who are being diligent in checking vehicles and locating ones that are stolen," Lt. Ausnow said. "They're just kind of on a roll."
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