The Ford F-Series line of pickups – consisting of the Ford F-150 and Ford Super Duty – have long represented the best-selling vehicle in the U.S., a streak that extends for decades to this point. However, on the downside, that also means that the F-Series is quite popular with thieves, too. In fact, the Ford F-150, specifically, has been a regular on the list of the top 10 most-stolen vehicles in the U.S. for years now, but one of those pickups was recently taken in a very unique – and not terribly smart – manner.
It all went down when a man illegally landed a small airplane on a United States Navy airstrip on San Clemente Island, part of Naval Base Coronado – not just once, but twice – and then stole a Ford F-150 that belonged to that military branch and used it to damage gates on the island, causing thousands of dollars in damage. The man has been in custody ever since, and now, has pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft of government property in excess of $1,000, as well as one misdemeanor count of illegal entry into a naval installation.
These incidents began back in October 2023, when the man flew a Glastar plane to San Clemente Island and landed on the Navy airstrip without permission, at which time he signed a letter notifying him that such actions constituted a federal crime. However, he did it again this past April, and this time, he stole a Ford F-150 pickup that belongs to the Navy that was parked near the airstrip and proceeded to drive it around the island – causing around $8,000 in damage along the way.
Now, the man faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property and up to six months in federal prison for illegally entering a naval installation. His sentencing hearing is set to take place later this month.
“Whatever [White’s] intentions were, the military did not know them; they responded as one might expect the military to respond to an unknown threat: they assumed the worst,” prosecutors argued in court documents. “The island went on a complete lockdown. Personnel engaged in a highly dangerous mission to locate the unknown intruder(s) notwithstanding the dangers they were exposing themselves too, from the weather, the terrain, and the potential unexploded ordnances that could have been underfoot in that area.”
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