Not everyone gets to see their car again after it is stolen. Very few get to see it 35 years later. Virtually no one gets to see it in fully-restored condition. But this past week Michele "Mikey" Carlson Squires got to see her Volkswagen bus for the first time since it was stolen in 1974 in her hometown of Spokane, Washington.
Fully restored and worth substantially more than the insurance settlement Ms Squires received all those years ago, the van was discovered by customs officers at the port of Los Angeles during a routine search of a container bound for Europe.
Before being exported, every vehicle must have a certified or original copy of the title among the documents authorizing it to leave the country. "Through a system check and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, we were able to determine this vehicle was stolen," said Todd Hoffman, director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Agents opened the container and checked the vehicle's title against the vehicle identification number. They then contacted California Highway Patrol and the Spokane Police Department. A police report indicated that the vehicle was stolen between 6:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on July 12, 1974.
However, Ms Squires cannot simply claim her VW. A self-described "wannabe hippie" when the van was stolen but today a grandmother of five, she received the insurance settlement back then and so the van legally belongs to the insurance company.
Typically, stolen cars go to auction if they are recovered. In this case the insurance company reports that it is exploring other options because it is such a distinctive case.
Fully restored and worth substantially more than the insurance settlement Ms Squires received all those years ago, the van was discovered by customs officers at the port of Los Angeles during a routine search of a container bound for Europe.
Before being exported, every vehicle must have a certified or original copy of the title among the documents authorizing it to leave the country. "Through a system check and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, we were able to determine this vehicle was stolen," said Todd Hoffman, director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Agents opened the container and checked the vehicle's title against the vehicle identification number. They then contacted California Highway Patrol and the Spokane Police Department. A police report indicated that the vehicle was stolen between 6:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on July 12, 1974.
However, Ms Squires cannot simply claim her VW. A self-described "wannabe hippie" when the van was stolen but today a grandmother of five, she received the insurance settlement back then and so the van legally belongs to the insurance company.
Typically, stolen cars go to auction if they are recovered. In this case the insurance company reports that it is exploring other options because it is such a distinctive case.
