Cracking the Camaro caper

When the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro that Keith Williams purchased online arrived at his home, he could tell something wasn’t right.
“I felt a little uneasy with what I was seeing and what it was supposed to be,” explained the Santa Maria resident and classic car buff.
Williams did some investigation, and found features inconsistent with a 1969 Camaro SS and other problems.
He was told by a local law enforcement agency not to worry about it, but the nagging feeling persisted.
“I still felt uneasy and called the CHP,” Williams said.
His concerns were justified when some fact-digging revealed the Camaro was reported stolen 36 years ago, a discovery not made until after Williams brought the car to the Santa Maria office of the California Highway Patrol in March.
While learning the news, Williams’ thoughts flew to the purchaser’s insurance he had bought through eBay to protect his investment.
“I was thinking, I sure hope my insurance kicks in,” he said.
Williams received his insurance check this week.
CHP officers in Santa Maria ran the vehicle identification number through the National Insurance Crime Bureau database and found the Camaro, which was not an SS model and originally was equipped with a six-cylinder engine, was stolen out of Newark, N.J., in 1975.
A.G. Speake, an investigator with the CHP Coastal Division Auto Theft Unit was able to track down the original owner after contacting the Newark Police Department and obtaining a copy of the 1975 police report that was saved on microfilm.
The woman, who has asked investigators to remain anonymous, thought the phone call from Speake was a prank.
CHP investigators asked the police department in the city where the woman now lives to send a uniformed officer to her house and assure her that her Camaro was indeed recovered.
She said the Camaro was “just an old car” and not worth her time, according to the CHP.
Undeterred, Speake forwarded the owner pictures of the car, which had undergone a substantial restoration, including the installation of a high-performance 427 V8 engine.
She is now making arrangements to reclaim the car, the CHP reported.
CHP Officer Frank Lewis, who researched the background of the Camaro along with Officer Chuck Johnes, said that after learning the Camaro was originally yellow, he was able to find a bit of yellow peeking out from underneath the now-black-and-silver exterior in the wheel well.
Finding the original owner of the stolen car was an unusual and exciting occurrence, Lewis said.
“I was just tickled pink,” he added.
Lewis credits Williams with playing an important part in cracking the case by having the honesty to bring the car forward when he suspected something was amiss.
“If this man wasn’t honest, we never would have found it,” he said of the car. “I’m just happy that she’s going to get her car back.”
Williams said that the Camaro as it appeared on eBay was well-photographed and video taped, and he places no blame with the man who sold it to him.
That owner only had the car for a short time, as did the owner before him, Williams said.
Prior to that, someone had the car since 1986, according to Williams, who added, “and he drove it ‘til the wheels fell off.”
He is pleased with the way the CHP handled the Camaro case.
“I think they did a good job,” Williams said. “I was very pleased in what they did and their attitude toward everything.”