A CHP officer holds a gun on the occupants of an allegedly stolen vehicle. [Photo provided by a reader.]

According to Officer Matt Harvey of the California Highway Patrol, last night three male hitchhikers were detained along with one woman driver in Trinidad. Harvey explained, the four were in a vehicle reported stolen in Las Vegas.

The Arcata Police Department initially spotted the 2002 Pontiac Firebird and recognized the vehicle as stolen in Arcata but lost sight of it, Harvey said. A CHP officer, he said,  observed the vehicle northbound on Hwy 101 near Crannell Road exit.

According to Harvey, CHP officers executed a felony stop at the Chevron station and detained the four occupants until further questioning revealed that the three male passengers were hitchhikers. “We determined that the driver was responsible for the stolen vehicle,” Harvey said. “We believe the [hitchhikers] were innocent.’

Jenna Marie Lilly age 24 from West Virginia was arrested for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.

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