A stolen car was recovered early Saturday morning when an officer on patrol happened to run the plate on the vehicle as it passed him.

The vehicle came back as reported stolen on Jan. 23 from a rental agency in Tampa, Fla. The officer spoke with the driver Barry Lee Steinberg, as he parked the stolen vehicle and got out of it at QuikTrip.

When the officer told Steinberg the vehicle had been reported stolen, he reportedly said, “The car is not stolen and it is a civil matter between him and the rental company.” However, a check of his information showed that not only was he wanted in Tampa for the theft of the vehicle, he also had a suspended license, and was wanted in Duluth and South Carolina.

Steinberg told the officer that he had a notebook that contained cash and that he wanted to take that with him as personal property. The officer did find the notebook with three envelopes of cash inside totaling $6,516. They also reportedly found pieces of loose marijuana in some foil by the driver’s door and a small bag of marijuana in the trunk.

He was charged locally with driving on a suspended license and theft by receiving.

No good deed goes unpunished

A Covington man reported a theft of his wallet and checkbook after giving a new friend a ride to church.

The victim called police and reported that he picked up a man he met two months ago named Eric Smith, from the Days Inn on Alcovy Road. The two were heading to the victim’s church.

According to reports, at one point, the victim took his wallet and checkbook and placed them on the table. When he returned to the room, he found his “friend” was no longer there, and neither were his wallet or checkbook. He said he attempted to find Smith, who he described as about 50 years old, but was unable to locate him.