Watch CBS News

Police: Nearby Business Owner Posed As Caltrans Employee To Steal Antique Wagon

SONORA (CBS13) — Police say a man tried impersonating a Caltrans employee to steal an antique wagon outside of a Sonora cafe.

Perhaps even stranger, the suspect is a business owner whose shop is right down the street.

An off-duty deputy happened to drive by and spot something that must have stood out—a man allegedly dressed as a Caltrans employee trying to wheel off an antique wagon.

Sonora Police say Daniel Parsons donned a vest, posing as a Caltrans worker in a ploy to steal the horse-drawn wagon outside of Foothills Cafe on Stockton Street.

"This sounds like pretty classic Tuolumne County stuff," said neighbor Walter Levya.

Officers interrupted Parsons and started asking him questions, like why was he there at 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday. They say he claimed he had permission, and even a handwritten invoice saying he had a claim to the wagon.

Police spoke to the cafe owners who said the invoice was faked.

Even more bizarre, Parsons is a nearby business owner. His new motorcycle repair shop is just down the street, within walking distance of the wagon he's accused of trying to steal.

As for a possible motive, Sonora's Police chief says the cafe's owners had prior problems with Parsons and his pals popping wheelies and burning rubber in their parking lot.

"It's just something that happens in a small town. People get in disputes and they try settling things their own way, a part of living out here I guess," said Derrick Bonner.

Police say Parsons won't tell them what he wanted with the wagon or where he was going to put it.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.