Trooper detains California man after report of stolen car

A California man was arrested in Sidney over the weekend for allegedly driving a stolen car.

A trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol received a radio transmission from NSP Dispatch on Sunday that a possible drunk driver was traveling eastbound on I-80. The grey Toyota had reportedly been swerving between lanes since spotted near the Wyoming line.

The car exited at Sidney and was reportedly headed toward Sapp Brothers. The trooper found the vehicle parked in the McDonalds parking lot. He stopped next to the car and walked to the driver’s side door to interrogate the operator. The Toyota had dealer plates and the trooper noticed that there was no in-transit sticker on the car’s windows, according to court affidavits.

The driver reportedly produced a license, but no bill of sale.

His California ID identified the driver, Tuan Anh Huynh Nguyen, though the trooper was advised by dispatch that Nguyen’s license had been suspended. According to court documents, the trooper alerted him of the situation and told the driver he would allow him to drive to a motel and park his vehicle until the situation could be resolved with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

While leading Nguyen to the motel, NSP ran the VIN on the vehicle only to find out that the car was stolen from California. The dealership registered the car as stolen due to Nguyen’s fraudulent financial information.

Nguyen was placed under arrest and transported to the Cheyenne County Jail.