Sonoma County auto thief had a soft spot for owner’s dog, CHP says

He stole a car that belonged to someone else, but the thief did one thing right: When he found a pet dog inside, he delivered it home before taking off again.

Authorities caught up with the suspected thief anyway, when the victim, out in a different car, drove by what he recognized to be the Volkswagen Passat that had been taken from him earlier.

Officers on Friday arrested Santa Rosa resident Joshua Hathaway, 39. Hathaway is suspected of jumping into the stolen Passat a short time earlier Friday, when it was left running by a man delivering donations to a Rohnert Park Goodwill site.

When the victim got home to Santa Rosa, he found his yellow lab inside the garage of his house, apparently put there by the car thief, who would have had access to the remote door opener, authorities said.

The victim later was driving on Stony Point Road near the Washoe House and Roblar Road and, spotting the stolen Passat, called the CHP.

Responding officers were preparing to make a traffic stop when the driver fled and briefly disappeared. They soon discovered the car crashed off Stony Point Road near Highway 116 and Hathaway hiding in some bushes, the CHP said.

Hathaway was arrested for suspected evasion, resisting arrest and vehicle theft. He also was found to be on probation for a previous drunken-driving offense, the CHP said. He was being held Saturday in the Sonoma County Jail, with bail of $10,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.