Man Recovered Stolen Car Himself, Was Almost Arrested: Report

WHITEFISH BAY, WI — Police in Whitefish Bay say the driver of a stolen vehicle surprisingly turned out to be one of the vehicle's rightful owners.

According to Whitefish Bay police call logs, an officer on patrol near the intersection of N. Kimbark Place and E. Lancaster Ave. just after 6 p.m. on June 6 saw a black Ford F-150 pickup that had been reported as stolen in Milwaukee in November 2018.

Police say the officer stopped at the vehicle that was parked with the driver behind the wheel, and took the driver into custody. He was, however, quickly released.

When officers investigated further, they learned that the driver was, in fact, was one of the rightful owners of the vehicle. Police learned that the man recovered the vehicle himself, and reported the recovery to Milwaukee Police.

Police say they verified this information after they called the man's spouse. Call logs stated that the spouse confirmed the vehicle's recovery.

Whitefish Bay police saw correctly that the vehicle's status had not been updated from "stolen" to "recovered" prior to the owner's claim, the officer urged the owners to go to a Milwaukee police station to have the vehicle's status updated.