Alaska State Troopers conducting a stop for a moving violation found themselves recovering a stolen vehicle on Saturday night.

After a traffic stop on a 1999 Ford ranger at mile 49 of the Parks Highway for moving and equipment violations, troopers found that the driver, Michael A. Hanson of Willow was driving with a suspended license out of Washington State.

It was also determined during the stop, along the Parks Highway Safety Corridor, that the vehicle the 52-year-old man was driving was stolen.

In the vehicle as well was passenger, 33-year-old Wasilla resident Shannon W. Bartholomew. An investigation at the scene, found that Bartholomew had stolen the vehicle from a residence on March 1st. After meeting Hanson at a party, she asked him to drive the vehicle.

Because Hanson had unknowingly driven the stolen vehicle and had no hand in the thievery, he was cited for DWLS and released from the scene.

Bartholomew, on the other hand, was arrested for vehicle theft I, transported to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility and remanded there where she is being held on $5,000 bail.