An officer who pulled over to help a motorist push his car off the road ended up making two arrests for possession of a stolen vehicle on Monday afternoon, Jan. 9.

At 4:15 p.m. an officer was driving southbound on Herndon Road from Hatch Road when he saw Jamal Sanders, 34, of Modesto, pushing a black Jeep Renegade with Oregon plates off the roadway. Behind the wheel steering was Frank Lopez, 26, of Oregon. The officer pulled over to help and became suspicious when he saw a second front plate sitting on the passenger seat. Additional officers arrived as the officer ran the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and it came back reported as stolen.

Both Sanders and Lopez were booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle.