Los Banos man arrested in a stolen car, deputies say

Deputies arrested an alleged car thief this week near Los Banos, the Merced County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

A deputy made a traffic stop on a red Honda Civic on Thursday after noticing the driver had stopped next to a canal bank on Highway 165, deputies said.

The deputy ran the license plate and found the car had been reported stolen in Santa Clara on Feb. 24, the sheriff's office said. The driver, 26-year-old Santiago Jimmy Maldonado of Los Banos, was arrested on suspicion of being in the possession of stolen property.

Maldonado was also on felony probation, according to deputies. He remains in custody without bail, according to jail records.

The car was returned to its owner, deputies said.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Los Banos man arrested in a stolen car, deputies say."