By Eve Nowell 
Three folks have been hauled in by Vidalia cops over a stolen ’72 Chevelle, but here’s the kicker: the sweet ride’s still MIA. Not exactly a masterclass in grand theft auto, huh?
The whole mess started back on July 7, sparking a manhunt that led to Clifford Eugene Payne III, 26, from Vidalia, plus a pair of Ferriday boys, Dantrieze Tyree Scott and Christopher Lamar Chatman Jr., who probably thought they’d pulled off the perfect crime. Think again, hotshots.
Nazarita Franklin, the car’s rightful owner, blew the whistle on July 10 after realizing her late husband’s prized possession—a slick blue beast with white racing stripes and a creamy interior—had vanished. The kind of car that turns heads, the kind you don’t just misplace in a Walmart parking lot.
Cops got a lucky break with surveillance footage showing the crew yanking the Chevelle from a carport, loading it onto a hauler like something out of Gone in 60 Seconds, minus the Hollywood budget. Baton Rouge was supposedly the next stop, but after that? Poof. Gone.
Despite nabbing the suspects, detectives are still scratching their heads over where the Chevelle ended up. That thing didn’t just evaporate, and you better believe they’re turning over every rock to find it.
If you’ve got the inside scoop, Vidalia PD wants to hear it. They’ve been burning the midnight oil on this one, and let’s face it—somebody out there knows where that car’s stashed. Time to fess up.
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Shawn Henry