Persistent Airplane Thief Still At Large

Police in Sonoma, California, are looking for a persistent would-be airplane thief who failed to make off with two aircraft on Sunday morning. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said that about 9:30 a.m. the man tried to get in a light aircraft that was idling as a mechanic worked on it. The mechanic "kicked the man away" and yelled at him to leave but he was undeterred.

The suspect went into a hangar and started one of the aircraft inside. The mechanic put the run on him again and he disappeared into woods. Despite a concerted search using a drone, dogs and a helicopter, the man was still at large as of Monday afternoon. It's believed he got on the airport through an area that had just been cleared of brush to make way for a new fence. A temporary fence has now been installed.