A 28-year-old Modesto man was arrested for auto theft during a Friday traffic stop in Ceres.

At approximately 9:22 a.m. Ceres Police Officer Ian Perry was patrolling in the area of Hatch and Herndon roads when he located an occupied stolen vehicle. Police contacted all of the occupants of the vehicle and detained driver Jose Alejandro Aguilar Ceballos, 28, of Modesto. During the investigation, other law enforcement agencies arrived to assist and determined the vehicle had a false license plate and an altered Vehicle Identification Number (VIN.)

After locating the correct VIN for the vehicle, police determined the vehicle had been stolen out of Florida. Ceballos was arrested for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.