Stolen car returned after Collier County deputy stops suspicious driver

Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published:
Timothy Matt Yardley
Timothy Matt Yardley (Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office)

A woman’s stolen car has been returned to her after a Collier County Sheriff’s Deputy saw it driving along US-41.

The sheriff’s office says one of their deputies was headed east on US-41 on Monday when he spotted a car with a broken-out window driving next to him. The deputy was suspicious that the car was stolen, so he pulled behind the car to check its registration.

When the deputy pulled behind the car, the driver turned onto a residential street and accelerated to 40 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.

The deputy pulled over the driver, identified as 52-year-old Timothy Matt Yardley of Naples. An investigation during the traffic stop determined that the car was reported stolen in Collier County.

Yardley was taken into custody and faces charges of grand theft and driving with a suspended license.

Collier County Sheriff’s deputies were able to turn the car back over to its owner at the scene.

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