Man Arrested On A Not So ‘Joy Ride’
San Andreas, CA – An off-road vehicle being operated on a Mother Lode roadway under near-cover of darkness did nothing to cloak suspicions.
Calaveras County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Greg Stark recounts that deputies patrolling on Whiskey Slide Road in Mountain Ranch Saturday evening conducted a vehicle enforcement stop and contacted the driver, 48-year-old Zanko James Hilderbrandt of Mountain Ranch.
The suspect could not provide any registration paperwork, according to Stark, and there were no visible identification markings on the vehicle, so deputies requested the CHP to assist, and a responding officer helped located the VIN under a coat of paint. A records-check of that number showed that the vehicle had been stolen Oct. 14, 2019, from the Doster Road area of Mokelumne Hill.
Deputies also located a handgun in Hilderbrandt’s backpack. He was arrested, transported to the Calaveras County Jail, and charged with possession of the stolen property, carrying a concealed firearm and for possession of a firearm by convicted person. He received a $25,000 bail.
