On Saturday, June 21st, 2023, at 4:48 pm, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a reported stolen vehicle recovery at the Venice Motel, 1114 N Golden State Blvd, Turlock, after a man had called to report that he believed he had spotted his pop-up camper trailer that had been stolen back in early September 2022 in the parking lot.

When officers arrived on scene, they verified that the trailer was indeed the caller’s.

Officers were eventually approached by the owner of the vehicle the trailer was attached to, Dusty West, 29, of Denair, after she had seen officers surrounding her vehicle.

When questioned, West stated that she had been given the trailer by her friend for free who no longer needed it. West also stated that her friend had told her “to not get it taken away by the cops”.

Officers then asked West why she hadn’t attempted to register the trailer yet if she believed that she had legitimately been given it, to which she stated that she couldn’t find a vehicle identification number on it, even though officers had easily found the VIN and noticed it had a fresh coat of paint over it.

Based on the totality of the circumstances, officers determined that West either knew or should have known that the trailer was stolen.

West was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on the charge of buying or receiving a stolen vehicle.

The trailer was returned back to its rightful owner.