LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport Police officer on Tuesday night discovered a stolen senior center van and arrested a man who previously had been cited for violating the county’s shelter in place order for stealing the vehicle.

Robert Ed Taylor, 60, of Lakeport, was arrested after Officer Kaylene Strugnell found him driving the stolen van, police said.

At about 10 p.m. Tuesday Strugnell was on patrol when she located an occupied suspicious box van in the parking lot of Savings Bank of Mendocino County on Main Street, police said.

Police said Strugnell identified the van’s driver as Taylor and found that the van was registered to the Lakeport Senior Center.

With the assistance of Officer Tyler Trouette, Strugnell conducted further investigation and determined that the van was an unreported stolen vehicle, taken from the senior center without anyone’s knowledge. Senior center staff responded to recover the vehicle, the department reported.

Police said Taylor was arrested for felony vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.

Due to current Judicial Council of California rules that are remaining in effect during the COVID-19 emergency, these charges would not trigger a booking and custody hold with bail. As such, police said Taylor was given a notice to appear in court at a later date and released.

Last week, police arrested Taylor at the same location for violating the Public Health shelter in place orders after he repeatedly harassed employees and customers and had no lawful business at the location.

The Lakeport Police Department reported that its officers have conducted thousands of miles of patrol and hundreds of business and neighborhood checks to keep the community safe during the shelter in place order.