December 19, 2022 |
One thing leads to another. In Rawlins, a stolen car led police to another heisted vehicle and a little closer to solving a case that started in Saratoga.
In late October, a trailer was stolen off a property owned by Bill Schroer. The trailer was stored behind a garage he owns on the west side. At the time, Schroer declined to divulge the contents of the trailer, only saying it contained car parts.
New information gathered from Schroer and police shows the stolen trailer contained a partially dissembled 1970’s-era sprint car. Sprint cars are single seat vehicles used for racing, primarily on dirt tracks. Schroer said the vintage race car was missing major engine components, making it undrivable. The victim said the vehicle was a project car. He purchased it with the intention to rebuild it because the vintage racer reminded him of one he used to race.
Following its theft, Saratoga Police Chief Ken Lehr said the trailer was thought to have been taken out of the state. Chief Lehr said police had a suspect in South Dakota. They were watching online marketplaces in that area to see if the car or trailer appeared.
A month and a half later in mid-December, an unrelated vehicle theft led Rawlins PD to the location of Schroer’s missing sprint car. Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said officers were searching for a stolen vehicle on the night of December 12th. Chief Ward described what happened.
Pictured above: File photo of Rawlins Police Department. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
Following the tire tracks, Chief Ward said officers were led to a vacant house on North Front Street. With the help of the property owners, the stolen car was located in the home’s garage. Police were surprised to see Schroer’s vintage race car next door.
Chief Ward said Schroer’s vehicle didn’t appear to have been damaged.
The neighboring property is owned by the same people that own the house where the first stolen car was found. It was also vacant. Chief Ward said the homeowners are not suspects and that there are many questions left unanswered.
Rawlins police do not have a suspect for either vehicle theft at this time. Bigfoot 99 asked Chief Ward if the same person was responsible for both crimes. Chief Ward said it’s likely, but the case is still under investigation.
While Schroer’s sprint car was recovered, his trailer was not. The Rawlins police chief said his department will continue to search for the trailer. Chief Ward said this type of theft is common in our area.
A lucky break lead Rawlins Police to a stash of stolen vehicles. With no suspect, the case remains under investigation.
