Car stolen, recovered in less than 45 minutes by WPD

WASHINGTON - The Washington Police Department was able to recover a stolen vehicle within 45 minutes Saturday morning.

At approximately 8:01 a.m., a caller in the 900 block of East Washington street reported their 2009 red Chevy Malibu was stolen after it had been warming up for the last 30 minutes, according to the Washington County Communications Media Report.

The vehicle was entered into the system until 8:43 a.m. when an officer reported being behind The Lighthouse Center with said stolen vehicle and a suspect, according to the report.

Murphy Lee Rutherford, 27, of Washington was arrested for second degree motor vehicle theft and no valid driver's license, according to the report. The owner reclaimed the vehicle and it was cleared from the system.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation and defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.