Jul
23
SANTA BARBARA, CA – 7/20/2007. A local man is in custody after taking brief possession of a $100,000 Range Rover. The owner, a 28-year-old resident of Alston Road, drove to Ablitt’s Dry Cleaners at 14 W. Gutierrez Street to drop off laundry. The Range Rover was so new it still had the dealer’s paper plates. The owner left the engine running, went inside the business, and turned his back to his unattended vehicle. Moments later, the owner turned to see his vehicle being driven away by an unknown person. Police dispatch was notified and a BOL (Be on the Lookout) issued. Lt. Doug Kresky was in the area, and checked south on Castillo Street from Haley. He spotted the vehicle parked unattended at the Chevron gas station convenience store at Castillo and Montecito Street. He confirmed it was the same vehicle complete with tinted windows and custom wheels. Moments later, a man walking out of the convenience store approached the Range Rover, car keys in hand. Lt. Kresky stepped forward to detain him. The suspect immediately tossed the car keys under the vehicle. He was arrested after a brief struggle. He is identified as Casey Lee Wadsworth, age 42, a resident of the Salvation Army shelter at 423 Chapala Street. Found inside Wadsworth’s pocket was the vehicle’s registration papers. Wadsworth was booked at County Jail for auto theft, and for a violation of probation charge stemming from a prior auto theft conviction. Meanwhile, the owner of the Range Rover learned a painful lesson to never leave a vehicle unattended with the engine running.
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