Santa Barbara City pothole repair truck stolen, recovered in Santa Maria

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A Santa Barbara City utility truck used to repair potholes was reported stolen Wednesday morning and recovered several hours later in Santa Maria.

The Santa Barbara Police Department put out a "be-on-the-lookout" for the stolen truck Wednesday morning.

The large orange GMC truck is used for filling potholes, police said. The public was asked to call police if the vehicle is found.

Be On the Look-Out for a Pothole Bandit Driving a Stolen City Vehicle https://t.co/BzCUo7kgW1 via @Nextdoor pic.twitter.com/VZWhGtZNr6

— Santa Barbara PD PIO (@SBPDPIO) March 3, 2021

At around 11:15 a.m., Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner said the truck was recovered near Santa Maria.

"We are unaware of any potholes that were filled outside the City's jurisdiction," Wagner said on Twitter.

This is the second Santa Barbara Public Works vehicle stolen in the last month. On Feb. 12, the police department said a Ford F-350 with a large crane in its bed was stolen from the 3600 block of State Street.

Wagner said neither incident was related and both vehicles have since been recovered.