CHP looks for suspected car thief | Crime

AUBURN, CA - The California Highway Patrol hopes a photo of a man they suspect of driving a stolen Jeep and leaving the scene of an accident last Wednesday will be his undoing.

The picture is of a young man seen on an Ophir property two days after the incident, according to the CHP. It was taken surreptitiously by a property owner near Ophir Road and Stonehouse Road. The property owner said the man was seen at one point hiding in a doghouse on the property. The man also asked the property owner asked for a ride home but disappeared before law enforcement came.

The man is suspected of being behind the wheel of the stolen Jeep entering westbound Interstate 80 from an Auburn on ramp when he hit another vehicle at approximately 4:30 p.m., Dec. 5. The CHP said the man asked the other driver not to report the collision but once the man realized the other driver had already called police, he fled on foot.

The man was described as having a shaved head, thin, with acne and bad teeth. There were tattoos on his right forearm.

Anyone who knows the man was asked to contact the CHP at (916) 663-3344.