English: Phil McGraw photographed for the cover of Newsweek magazine by Jerry Avenaim (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Brian Hews
A stolen vintage car owned by famed talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw has been recovered in the San Fernando Valley early Tuesday morning.
At 7:25 A.M., investigators recovered the 1957 Chevy Bel Air, detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
“Detectives assigned to the Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention, commonly known as TRAP, have been targeting auto theft rings involved in the thefts of classic automobiles. Detectives were aware that suspects have been burglarizing vehicle repair shops and stealing classic vehicles throughout the Los Angeles County area,” said Detective Jess Corral.
“Since the theft of Dr. Phil’ McGraw’s classic 1957 Chevy Bel Air, detectives have been conducting covert operations and inspections of businesses throughout the County. Detectives have recovered and identified fourteen stolen classic vehicles where the identifying numbers had been switched to avoid being identified as stolen. Five additional classic vehicles are still in the process of being identified. Numerous suspects have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing,” Corral said.
Using various investigative techniques, TRAP detectives have identified one of the classic vehicles recovered as belonging to Dr. Phil McGraw. The 1957 Chevy Bel Air has minor body damage and is in good condition.
The Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention (TRAP) was established in 1993 under the direction of the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee (CCJCC) with the Sheriff designated as the Regional Coordinator. The taskforce consists of regional investigative teams from various law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County. TRAP’s mission is to reduce the incidents of auto theft countywide by coordinating a deterrence, investigation, and prosecutorial program with all criminal justice agencies, and private sector business leaders.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Lieutenant Greg Jones at (626) 572-5620. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
–Source Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
