Sheriff’s deputies Thursday sought a man who stole a rented car containing surfboards, electronics and a wallet, then ran up about $3,000 in charges on the victim’s credit cards at various Encinitas-area businesses.
The rental car, a Kia, was taken near the San Elijo Campground on South Coast Highway 101 late Monday morning. It was recovered shortly afterward, but two surfboards, an iPad, $500 and the victim’s wallet were missing, according to sheriff’s officials and Crime Stoppers.
The thief subsequently used credit cards that were in the victim’s wallet to make purchases at area businesses, authorities said.
Images of the suspect and of the vehicle he was driving, a blue Hyundai Tucson with yellow paper license plates, were captured on surveillance video.
Authorities described the suspect as a roughly 6-feet tall and 180-pound bald white man of 35 to 45 years old who walked with a limp. His face was unshaven and he was wearing a camouflage shirt and pants, a flip flop on his right foot and no shoe on the left.
Anyone with information on the suspect was asked to call the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station at (760) 966-3500. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or by contacting the agency via email at sdcrimestoppers.org.
—City News Service