Stolen 1936 Ford Coupe recovered partially stripped | Crime

Nearly three weeks ago, a classic car was stolen from the home of Dr. Robert Clark, a well known veterinarian. Thieves stole his 1936 Ford Coupe right from his Veradale home, leaving tracks that appeared to lead nowhere.

It was creative and grassroots detective work by caring family members that resulted in its Wednesday recovery about four miles away from its origin. It was partially intact in a residential garage with parts lined up along the home’s lawn.

“Bob is a great guy and what was done to him was wrong,” Dan Brailey said. Brailey, Clark's future son-in-law, spear-headed the search, frequently trolling eBay hoping to find a lead. He did. The parts were being sold piece by piece on the auction website.

Brailey called Clark and said, “Bob, I found your car.”

“That was just the start,” Clark said. He was there when Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies recovered the vehicle and started collecting the stolen property. Deputies made two arrested in the case. Dmitriy D. Shulgan, 36, was arrested for 1st degree poessesion of stolen property and trafficking of that stolen property. Deputies also arrested Jerry Everett Jr., 47, for the same felonies, but in addition, theft of a motor vehicle. 

One part had already been sold to a Western Washington man. He called deputies earlier this week to report the suspicious transaction.

“I’m totally thrilled,” Clark shared. He continued, “People always say, ‘Oh, it’s probably been shipped to Mexico or Saudia Arabia.’ Or it’s chopped apart and somebody is hot-rodding right now.'”

That was his worse fear. A popular method of classic car reconstruction is hot rodding. Clark says that destroys history.

“It’s not like this vehicle is the only one in the world. There’s a whole bunch of them. The ‘36 Ford Coupe was pretty much restored to how it originally was. I think it’s a crime to chop it up and sell into pieces. It would be a tragedy - a loss,” said Clark.

The whole family was there when the classic car was packed up to be towed away. From the oldest of family members, to the youngest. Nic Splattstoesser, Clark's teenage grandson, helped with the recovery of the vehicle because it meant something to all of them. It was the first vehicle that took him home from the hospital after he was born. He called himself the “junior deputy”, helping Brailey with surveillance of the area.

Dr. Clark's son Joe recalls his father driving him around in the sweet ride with his junior and senior prom date.

“It was freakin’ awesome. We went to Dick's [Hamburgers]. We rolled up after its original paint job with the metallic blue.”

The vehicle is a little dusty now, but Clark anticipates a full restoration of the vehicle. It was towed away from the scene where it will be transported to an expert who will spend his time fixing it up.

“I don’t think it’s going to take too long,” Clark shared. He continued, “I’m sure if he had to, he could do it in a week or two, but we’re going to do it right.”

Brailey wanted to thank the community for their support. They received numerous phone calls supplying tips to help recover the vehicle, but most everyone rejected the $3,000 reward they offered. Industry websites and forums were lighting up, spreading the word about the stolen vehicle.

“There were a lot of people in the community that stepped up and helped us. We want to thank those people,” Brailey said.

Even though the treasured car was found partially stripped, they’re just glad they found it.