Santa Rosa man who asked officer for the time arrested in car theft

Police arrested a man in Sonoma County on suspicion of stealing a Mini Cooper after he asked an officer for the time.

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On Wednesday, the Healdsburg Police Department received an alert that a vehicle reported stolen had entered the city, as a Flock automated license plate reader detected its license plate, the department said in a Facebook post.

Officers then attempted to recover the vehicle, but the driver was able to “evade contact” when an officer spotted him driving over Memorial Bridge. Officers later came across the stolen vehicle again while it was parked at a shopping center and waited for the driver’s return.

A man who the police department said matched the physical description of the driver approached an officer while the vehicle was being watched and asked for the time. While talking with the officer, the man said he was from Santa Rosa and had parked his car where police said the missing vehicle was. After the man said he drove a Mini Cooper, officers detained him. 

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Police found multiple pieces of evidence inside the car that linked the suspect to the missing vehicle. The man allegedly confessed to stealing the vehicle and was later booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on vehicle theft charges. The car was returned to its owner. 

Although license plate reader cameras are widely used in California and police have credited them with helping officers arrest crime suspects, the technology has recently come under fire for privacy concerns, including unauthorized out-of-state or federal data sharing and officers allegedly using the data to stalk or harass people.