Being a teenager, whose parent was an undercover police officer meant that one might be under observation as well. The officer owned a distinctive bright blue Ford truck with orange stripes. He received a report that his truck was parked at the Orange Inn where previous arrests had been made for stolen vehicles and suspects who were wanted.

The officer began surveilling the motel to determine if his son, who was the driver of the truck, was partying with a group of friends. The officer was soon distracted by another scenario in the motel parking lot. An altercation occurred when a woman bolted from the motel room and a man rushed out to grab her. While they struggled, other suspects began loading the cars with numerous bulky items. There were now four men and four women hopping into two cars.

Determining that he needed backup, the officer requested a second police officer to check their registration. They had registered under false names. Two more police officers arrived just in time to pursue them as the cars raced onto the interstate. Because of their suspicious activity, they were pulled over. The officers could not communicate with them since they spoke no English. As they were being taken to the police station for further investigation, one of the drivers decided to make a run for it. He barreled away through downtown. While in pursuit, the officers observed loot being thrown from the getaway car. The chase continued until the crook was boxed in on a dead-end street where he rammed the police car. He attempted to take off again, but the officer forced him into a ditch.

Back at the police station, the illegals needed an interpreter while being booked for felonious possession of stolen silver. Finally, it was determined that they were Gypsies who spoke Polish. The investigation involved the FBI. As the case unfolded, a trail of organized crime emerged with distraction cases being committed throughout the eastern United States.

In 1981, the silver items were valued at $400,00 although some items were priceless. A sheriff from Texas identified some silverware that had been gifted to the Republic of Texas prior to statehood. This recovery was the largest amount of stolen goods ever recovered by the department at that time.

It was not until four years later when the teenager was sworn in as a police officer, that his mother learned of his role in “assisting” his dad in making the biggest bust of his career.