It sat in the parking lot so long that people started wondering if anyone was ever coming back for it.
They were right to be suspicious.
Deputies were called after employees at Ace Hardware reported a white U-Haul van that had been sitting in the lot for several months, according to a report from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.
The van was backed into a parking space near the lumber yard area of the property.
Officers checked the out-of-state registration and confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Huntington.
After verifying the registration matched the vehicle identification number, deputies requested a tow truck to recover the van.
A towing company responded and removed the vehicle from the property.
According to the report, no keys or personal belongings were found inside.
What looked like an abandoned rental turned out to be something much more serious — a stolen vehicle hiding in plain sight for months.
