Felon Arrested In Stolen Car In Rohnert Park, Police Say

ROHNERT PARK, CA — A suspected car thief was arrested Monday by an officer whose patrol car is equipped with an automated license plate reader, police said.

Around 1 p.m. Monday, the officer was on routine patrol at Motel 6 on Commerce Boulevard and saw a driver in a white Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck pull out of a spot on the south side of the hotel. When the driver noticed the patrol car behind him, he immediately re-parked on the north side of the hotel in a different location, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said in a social media post.

When the officer ran a records check of the vehicle’s license plate it returned information indicating it was stolen out of Contra Costa County.

The driver, a previously convicted felon out of Contra Costa County, was removed from the vehicle after officers conducted a high-risk stop. In a search of the pickup truck, officers found "shaved keys," which are vehicle ignition keys altered for the purpose of starting and stealing multiple vehicles, police said.

The vehicle's rightful owner was notified and the suspect, whose name was not disclosed, was booked into Sonoma County jail.

"Rohnert Park DPS utilizes various technologies to increase public safety and recover stolen property," police said. "The Automated License Plate Reader technology (ALPR) is an important piece of equipment used for these specific objectives."