Stolen OHV Recovered During Stop In Mountain Ranch

Photo by Kris Persson

Mountain Ranch, CA — A Calaveras County Sheriff’s deputy spotted a man driving an off-highway vehicle on Whiskey Slide Road in Mountain Ranch and made an enforcement stop.

The operator, 48-year-old Zanko James Hilderbrandt, could not provide any registration paperwork and there were no visible identification markings on the vehicle. The CHP was requested to help investigate the incident and after several minutes an officer found the VIN located under a coat of paint. During a records check, deputies learned that the vehicle had been stolen in October of last year from the Doster Road area of Mokelumne Hill.

Deputies also located a loaded handgun in Zanko’s backpack. He was transported Calaveras County Jail on charges of possessing stolen property, concealing a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted person.