Stolen VW Tillamook cheese buses found tucked inside storage facility

Three orange VW Tillamook cheese-sampling buses stolen over the weekend near Sacramento were found Monday night tucked inside a storage facility, authorities said.

The buses, valued at $300,000, were not damaged and appeared to be in their original condition, according to the Manteca Police Department.

Tillamook County Creamery Assn. said it was thrilled that police were able to recover the buses.

“While this kind of senseless crime is shocking and saddening, we are grateful for this happy ending,” the company said in a statement.

Investigators had received tips about the stolen buses, which led them to a storage facility in Calveras County’s Copperopolis, roughly 44 miles from Manteca.

Inside the storage locker, which was recently rented, investigators from throughout the region found the orange buses.

Police said they are still investigating several suspects connected to the case.

The buses were visiting Sacramento as part of Tillamook’s Loaf Love Tour team to promote its cheese, according to a company statement.

Soon after the theft, a Tillamook truck and trailer hauling the three buses was discovered severely burned in Jamestown.

The Tillamook dairy company even offered a $10,000 reward for the buses’ recovery.

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