Walnut Creek, Calif. police believe they’ve solved the case of the autographed baseball memorabilia that was taken when a northern California thief drove off in a stolen car earlier this week.
Several people called the police department with information about the identity of the suspect in the case from the information provided in the media, including a surveillance picture snapped outside the McDonald’s where the victim’s car was taken.
The owner of the car went inside the restaurant for coffee, only to come out and see someone driving out of the lot in his car. He’d inadvertently left the keys in the ignition.
Officers were able to confirm the identity of the suspect and locate him at the Motel 6 in Walnut Creek. A homeless man, 33-year-old Aaron Taylor Goode was taken into custody without incident.
Along with the Hyundai Sonata, several pieces of signed Giants’ memorabilia sitting inside were stolen including some Willie McCovey signed items.
Many of the stolen articles were recovered when police arrested Goode and located the car.
Investigators are working on locating the rest of the stolen items. The vehicle was recovered unoccupied in nearby Concord on Wednesday.
