Baldwin County Court To Decide Fate of '68 Camaro At Center of Stolen Car Mystery

Erica Thomas • March 4, 2025

The seizure case has received national attention over the years

Baldwin County Camaro Case

American car collectors have ranked the 1968 Camaro as one of the most treasured cars to own. One such car has become the center of attention in a case for Baldwin County Courts. If you have been following the years long battle over seizure law, you may be happy to know the case may soon come to an end.


Erica Thomas, of 1819 News, is reporting The case of a seized 1968 Chevrolet Camaro is back in the hands of the Baldwin County Circuit Court.


The Camaro was a birthday present from his wife and son for Thomas Craig Hadley. They purchased it in 2016 from another Baldwin County resident, who had bought it from a Limestone County resident five years prior.


The vehicle identification number (VIN) on the title matched the VIN issued to a Camaro in Oklahoma in 2002. Hadley used that VIN to register the car in Baldwin County and purchase insurance. Upon investigation, the VIN returned to a V-8 Camaro made at the Chevrolet plant in Norwood, Calif.


After someone in Tennessee registered the same VIN number, Alabama Department of Revenue agents came to inspect Hadley’s vehicle. The agents wanted to inspect VIN numbers on the dashboard, under the windshield wiper cowl and on the blower motor housing.


The officials could not remove the dashboard or wiper cowl, but Hadley said he helped them reach the blower motor housing, where they discovered a different VIN.


That VIN came back to a V-6 Camaro stolen out of Kansas in 2003.


However, Hadley claims it was clear that a piece of the inner fender had been removed and welded back in place, indicating that the area around the blower motor had been previously accessed. Still, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office seized the vehicle and handed possession to the Kansas resident who reported a Camaro stolen in 2003.


A Baldwin County Court ruled the seizure was illegal. The case was appealed, and the lower court's ruling was reversed, and the case was sent back to Baldwin County.


Hadley maintains that his car is not the same one stolen from Kansas. He is asking for a declaratory judgment determining his rights, duties and obligations.


  • gulf shores news

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • news in gulf shores

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • port at zekes

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • saunders marine gulf shores

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • yabbas snack shack

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • freedom boat club orange beach

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • buzzcatz coffee

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Recent Posts

philip rivers NFL QB and local coach
By Ken Cooper December 15, 2025
In one of the most extraordinary stories in recent NFL history, Philip Rivers—the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama—has come out of retirement to rejoin the Indianapolis Colts, nearly five years after throwing his last NFL pass.
Things to do in Gulf Shores
By Jessica Taylor December 15, 2025
The holiday season is officially in full swing! Schools let out this week, and the coast is the perfect place to celebrate Christmas with its salty breeze and twinkling lights. From gliding across real ice and sipping hot cocoa under the festive lights to strolling through art markets, singing carols in historic spaces
lottery tickets at the Flora-Bama
By Gulf Shores News Staff December 15, 2025
Alabama still does not have a lottery but the Florida line is so close. The jackpot for Powerball® is now at $1.10 billion dollars, one of the largest in the games history. A drawing will take place at 10pm central time tonight and locals are heading to Flora-Bama for tickets.
Show More