After Sacramento police recovered a very distinct classic car and returned it to its 106-year-old owner, a man is now in custody on suspicion of the theft, the department said last Wednesday on Twitter.
James William King, 43, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail Tuesday on suspicion of motor vehicle theft and probation violation, according to jail records. He bail is set at $60,000.
Court records show that King was convicted in Sacramento County of grand theft in May 2019 and had previous felony run-ins in Washington state dating back to 2004.
The car, a 1956 Bermuda clue Cadillac Eldorado, was reported missing Friday from the North Sacramento area. Its owner is a World War II veteran who earned three Purple Heart medals during his military service. The man, identified as “Curly” by police, worked as a movie stuntman and received the classic car from the famous actress and dancer Rita Hayworth.
The car is dubbed “The Rita Hayworth” in her honor.
There were multiple car show trophies in the car at the time it was stolen, police said.
On Monday, police circulated photos of the car asking for the public’s help finding it. It was recovered later that day.
“We want to take this opportunity to again thank the community for sharing this information and keeping an eye out for Curly’s car, that played an integral role in solving this case,” police said.
———
©2020 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)
Visit The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) at www.sacbee.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
