January 21, 2025
By JOSH FRIEDMAN
A 65-year-old man was apprehended in Morro Bay on Sunday after allegedly fleeing in a truck stolen from a Ford dealership in San Luis Obispo.
Just before 11 a.m., the Morro Bay police received a stolen vehicles notification through the city’s automated license plate reader system. This alert informed officers about the presence of a reported stolen vehicle within city limits, as stated by the Morro Bay Police Department.
Authorities located the vehicle, a 2024 Ford F-250, parked in the 700 block of Harbor Street. A 2025 Harley Davidson motorcycle was discovered in the truck’s bed.
Investigators found that the driver, Thomas Oliver Hight, had purchased the truck from Perry Ford in San Luis Obispo but did not have sufficient funds in his account to complete the payment. The dealership attempted to reclaim the vehicle, prompting it to report the F-250 as stolen.
Hight returned to Perry Ford intending to buy another vehicle. However, dealership personnel instructed him to either pay for the F-250 or return it. Hight declined and subsequently fled with the truck, damaging some landscaping as a Perry Ford staff member tried to prevent his departure.
Following his capture, Hight was booked in the San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of vehicle theft. He remains in custody with a bail amounting to $70,000, as per the details on the SLO County Sheriff’s Office website.
The Morro Bay police have informed the San Luis Obispo and Fresno police departments about Hight’s arrest and related cases involving the Ford dealership and a Harley dealership.
The investigation into this matter is ongoing. Authorities urge anyone who witnessed the incident or possesses any relevant information to reach out to Sergeant Nicole Taylor at (805) 772-6233 or to contact San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers at (805) 549-STOP.