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1990's Era Vehicle Recovered From Harbor

06/27/2014

Workers from RJS Construction dredging in the harbor pulled up the remnants of a vehicle late Thursday afternoon.

They were working in the area between Midwest Energy and the General Mills Elevator "O" slip, in about 26 feet of water.  The vehicle was brought to Fraser Shipyards early Friday where it was examined by investigators from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. A Wisconsin license plate and a Vehicle Identification Number were recovered from the debris. The VIN indicates the vehicle was a blue 1978 Ford Pickup. The WI Truck Plate BA37-546 was last registered in 1991 according to the sticker attached.

Investigators were able to trace the VIN number back to SafeCo Insurance Company, indicating they may have paid off on a claim.  SafeCo is checking their records. Efforts to manually trace the license plate are underway because electronic records for Wisconsin registration do not go back that far.

The incident remains under investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

remnants of vehicle covered in mud and rustrusted license plate BA 37 546