Investigation leads to return of custom bar top to brewery in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Finding a truck with stolen license plates on Tuesday has led to the recovery of a custom made bar top from a South Lake Tahoe brewery.

On June 30, 2020, deputies from El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) got an LPR (License Plate Reader) hit on a truck in Meyers.

The truck was traveling west on US50 and deputies found the truck near Ice House Road and attempted a traffic stop. The driver turned onto a rocky dirt road, stopped by the American River and took off on foot.

EDSO Deputies were able to identify the driver of the truck as Joseph Hanania and found that he had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest from Marin County for burglary, but Hanania was not found.

The truck was taken to a tow yard in Camino where it was stolen on Tuesday night.

During the investigation at the tow yard, EDSO deputies received a report that Hanania had stored “boards” in the tow yard 10 days ago. Photographs were sent to EDSO and detectives from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) to see if there were any reports of stolen wood that matched.

SLTPD detectives immediately recognized the wood as it was similar to the stolen bar top from Stateline Brewery which was valued at nearly $5,000. After further cooperation from the owner of the tow yard, all five pieces of Stateline Brewery’s stolen bar top were located.

The bartop was picked up and returned to the popular brewery before the 4th of July weekend thanks to a partnership between EDSO and SLTPD and diligence with the detectives and deputies.

At this time Joseph Hanania is still outstanding. Anyone with additional information for the whereabouts of Hanania or information about the theft of the bar top from Stateline Brewery is asked to contact Detective Matt Morrison, 530-542-6131 reference case number 2006-0712.