Lake Elsinore Truck Thief Busted Thanks To Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy, Agency Says

WILDOMAR, CA – A Lake Elsinore man has been arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft after he was allegedly spotted getting out of a truck reported stolen from Murrieta, sheriff's officials say.

According to sheriff's Lt. Kevin Smith, the 2004 Ford F-250 truck was reported stolen around 8 a.m. Tuesday out of Murrieta. The owner then took to social media to help spread the word; word which apparently reached a certain sheriff's deputy who was driving along Bundy Canyon Road, just west of I-15, around 4:39 p.m. the same day.

"The off-duty deputy saw a 2004 Ford F250 truck parked at the location," Smith said in a news release. "He believed it could possibly be a stolen truck from a posting the vehicle theft victim had made earlier in the day on social media."

The off-duty deputy called in a report to the dispatch center and provided the license plate number, soon confirming it was stolen, Smith said. He also described the driver and passenger who got out of the truck and headed into a nearby business.

"Officers from the City of Wildomar Police Department responded and detained the driver and the passenger without incident as the exited the business," Smith said. "The officers’ investigation revealed the truck had been reported stolen at about 8:00 a.m. that same day in the City of Murrieta."

Richard Burns, 20, was ultimately arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and violation of probation, Smith said. Jail records indicate Burns was booked into the Southwest Detention Center on $100,000 bail, where he remained as of Wednesday afternoon.

The passenger was not arrested and the truck was returned to the owner, according to the sheriff's department.

Image via Riverside County Sheriff's Department