Hot Rod Heartbreak: Classic Corvette Stolen In Carmichael Holds Deep Connection Between Woman And Her Late Father
CARMICHAEL (CBS13) – Crooks in Carmichael targeted a classic car, but the sharp-looking Corvette is more than a ride for one local woman – it's her deep connection to her late father.
To hear the pain in Judith Odbert's voice, you might think she just recently lost her father. Truth is, he's been deceased for several years.
But something he left Judith is now gone, and the pain is unbearable.
"The question is where did they put it and what do they plan to do with it?" Judith said.
It's a 1963 Corvette – modified, clean and classic, pearl white, complete with flared fenders and racing flames on the hood and sides.
It was the car her dad, before he became disabled, brought back to life to give to others after his life was over – a rolling reminder of his enduring love.
"It was just part of him. Everybody said, 'That was the car that Jack built,' " Judith said.
On Labor Day weekend, it became the car that someone stole. It was towed from a Carmichael auto body shop on a rope tied to a beat-up sedan.
Daniel Hughes said he saw the car in the yard and can't believe someone ripped it off.
"I've never heard of any break-ins or anything around here," Hughes said.
A break-in that's left more than an empty parking spot for Judith – it's re-opened a wound this classic car helped heal.
"That was the one thing. You saw it, you thought your dad was still around," she said.
If the car is still around, Judith wants to drive home a simple message to whoever hauled it away.
"I don't care about you getting caught," she said. "I just want the vehicle back if you just put it somewhere where it can be seen."
All she wants to see is her dad's pride and joy returned – the car that Jack built back in the hands of the family that Jack built.
"It's just not right for someone else to have this vehicle," Judith said. "It belongs in our family."
Because the corvette was towed with only a rope, police don't think it went very far.
So if you spot it, last seen in the San Juan Avenue and Oak Knoll Drive area of Carmichael, give law enforcement a call.
