Vehicle stolen from Chevron station recovered

A 1998 Ford Explorer that was stolen early Wednesday morning from the Chevron gas station on Petaluma Boulevard North was recovered early Thursday.

According to police, the stolen Explorer was recovered Thursday morning at about 7:50 a.m. on Century Lane of Skillman Lane. Police were tipped of to the vehicle's location by a resident who spotted it - parked and unoccupied - around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, but didn't think twice about it until reading press reports about its theft.

The vehicle - stolen from a Chevron Station on Petaluma Boulevard North at about 4:50 a.m. Wednesday morning after the female owner parked at the station and went into the attached market, leaving the SUV unlocked and running - appeared to have had the gas siphoned out of it, said Police Lt. Tim Lyons.

"The keys and gas cap were lying next to the vehicle," Lyons said Thursday morning. "We towed the vehicle to process it for evidence."

The Explorer was stolen after its owner had been inside the gas station market for about two minutes. When she walked outside, the owner saw her vehicle being driven away, headed southbound on Petaluma Boulevard.

According to a witness, a man and woman team worked together to steal the vehicle. The duo pulled up in a Honda next to the Ford. Then the man, described as in his mid-40s and with a goatee, exited the driver's side of the Honda and got into the Ford. The woman, a white female in her 20s, then got out of the passenger side of the Honda and drove it away.

The male suspect was described as standing about 5 feet, 10 inches, weighing about 170 pounds and wearing a dark goatee, a black hooded sweatshirt and black jeans.

The female suspect was described as standing about 5 feet, five inches, weighing 125 pounds, with black shoulder length hair, wearing pajama bottoms with distinctive vertical stripes.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the theft to call the Petaluma Police Department at 778-4372.

- Argus-Courier Staff