Surprise catch on the Clackamas River

A man out fishing finds an SUV floating down the river near Carver

The Clackamas Review, Jan 26, 2010, Updated Jan 26, 2010

courtesy of CCSO / clackamas Review

Members of the Clackamas County Marine Patrol inspect a stolen SUV found floating in the Clackamas River.

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A fisherman found a surprising catch in the Clackamas River this morning – a full-size sport utility vehicle.

The man reported the find shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday, after he spotted the SUV floating in the river about 100 yards south of Carver. The county’s marine patrol unit used an underwater camera and found that no one was in the vehicle.

They also recorded a license plate number, and later that morning, the owner of the car called to report that his vehicle was stolen.

The black, 2001 Ford Excursion was apparently stolen from a house along S.E. Harmony Road in Clackamas. Investigators found tire tracks upstream indicating where the SUV likely entered into the river.

The SUV came to rest about 200 yards downstream from the bridge, and deputies said it is marked with a buoy and isn’t causing a navigational hazard. The car owner’s insurance company is expected to soon work on having the vehicle removed from the water.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information concerning this crime to the contact the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office's confidential tip line. The phone number is 503-723-4949.

Please reference CCSO case number 10-2779

To submit a text crime tip message to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office from a cell phone, all users have to do is send a text message to CRIMES (274637 on your phone keypad) -- with the keyword CCSO as the first word in the message body.