Toyota RAV-4 Stolen and Recovered in Fresno; 3 Suspects Questioned and Released
- February 15, 2012
- recovery stories
On the morning of January 19, 2012, the owner of a 2008 Toyota RAV-4 Sport contacted the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department to report the vehicle stolen.
Fresno deputies completed a stolen vehicle report and had information about the RAV-4 entered into the state and federal crime computers. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Toyota and initiated the tracking of the vehicle.
About two hours later, an officer with the Fresno Police Department began receiving the silent signal from the stolen RAV-4 on his onboard LoJack Police Tracking Computer (PTC). The officer ran the reply code that appeared on his display screen and received the stolen vehicle information and a description of the RAV-4. Following the computer’s cues, the officer then tracked the vehicle to the vicinity of Bardell and Calwa Avenues in southwest Fresno. The vehicle was found abandoned on the side of the road in a residential area. As the officers approached, they observed three adult males near the vehicle. The men were detained and questioned, but as there was no evidence to tie them to the theft of the vehicle, they were identified and released. The vehicle was recovered intact and undamaged; it was stored pending release to the owner.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Toyota RAV-4 in December of 2008.