A valuable luxury sport-utility vehicle stolen from Sun Valley Resort in December 2005 has been recovered in good condition in western Nevada, the Sun Valley Police Department reported Tuesday.
The vehicle, a Lexus LV470 owned by Sun Valley Co., was recovered Monday in a casino parking lot southwest of Carson City, in the Lake Tahoe area, said Sun Valley Police Lt. Mike Crawford, who is handling the investigation. The location of the Lexus, which has an estimated value of $70,000, was reported by a casino security guard who determined it had been sitting outside the establishment for several weeks, Crawford said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Department discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen, Crawford said.
The Sun Valley Police Department requested that the vehicle be impounded and searched for evidence, Crawford said, but so far no useful leads on a suspect have been obtained.
The Lexus was scheduled to be released Tuesday for Sun Valley Co. to pick it up. Crawford said the vehicle is in very good condition. He noted that several personal items inside the vehicle when it was stolen were still inside when it was recovered.
"It's a stroke of luck that the vehicle isn't trashed," he said.
Meanwhile, the investigation into who stole the vehicle—seemingly just to travel from Sun Valley to Lake Tahoe—will continue, Crawford said.
The Lexus was stolen from in front of the Sun Valley Lodge on Dec. 6. Sun Valley Co. has been offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to return of the SUV.
