The car of Laurinburg's city manager was recovered Wednesday, 36 hours after it was reported stolen from the parking lot at city hall.

One person is in custody and another is being sought in the vehicle theft.

The car was found broken down on the side of U.S. 74 by Scotland County sheriff's deputies with three people inside. The car had suffered some damage.

The black 2009 Honda Accord was missing several items that belonged to Ed Burchins and the city of Laurinburg when officers searched the vehicle, but there was something extra in the trunk – a large breed dog.

James Ray Dunn, Jr., 24, of Corbitt Road in Laurel Hill was the driver of the car, according to Detective Chris Young, LPD. Dunn was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, a class F felony that carries up to two years in prison.

Dunn, who claimed ownership of the dog, may also face charges of larceny for stealing the dog found in the trunk. His first court appearance is scheduled for today.

Dunn has served two stints in prison – one for a series of drug charges and the other for a break-in, according to the N.C. Department of Corrections. He was released July 10 from his most recent period of incarceration.

Young said investigators believe Dunn, although in possession of the vehicle, was not the actual car thief. Warrants were issued Wednesday for the arrest of Aaron Michael Dohogn, 27, of 18860 Marston Road, Laurel Hill on the charge of larceny of a motor vehicle. This is also a class F felony.

Dohogn was previously convicted of one count of larceny and one drug charge, according to the DOC. He recently finished serving community service for one of the charges.

The vehicle broke down on U.S. 74-Bypass in Scotland County while traveling east towards Maxton, Young said. Dunn and two passengers initially thought they had ran out of gas and tried adding more gas, but were unable to get the car started.

A motorist then stopped to try and jump the car, but was unsuccessful.

At this point, deputies noticed the vehicle and took the three people into custody, who they turned over to Laurinburg police as they were the agency investigating the theft.

Police began searching the car and were told by the passengers about the dog in the trunk.

A laptop belonging to the city was missing from the vehicle, as were several of Burchins' personal belongings .

Young says the laptop, which was valued at $1,200, was recovered later in the day.

Burchins said he works late most nights, and left "pretty late" on Monday.

When he went to his car, he found an empty parking spot.

"I was shocked, to say the least," Burchins said.

At first, he thought maybe he'd parked next door at the police station, but quickly found that not to be the case.

"Needless to say, I was quite concerned and upset," Burchins said.

The city manager said he spoke with the officers who were working and they immediately began an investigation, notifying all law agencies in a 50 mile radius about the stolen vehicle.

They also interviewed Burchins regarding the contents of his car.

"Wednesday morning, I woke up and was getting ready to go into work when I got a phone call saying my car had been found," Burchins said.

He was in good spirits when he got to his office.

Then Burchins saw an email from Police Chief John Evans that contained a photo of his car.

"My car had been damaged pretty significantly in the front," Burchins said.

While not happy about the damage, Burchins said his insurance company seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they found the car only needed repairs and not replacement. The vehicle was valued at $26,000.

Burchins was thankful for the speedy recovery of his car and the work of Laurinburg police and Scotland County sheriff's deputies.

"Quite honestly, I really did not believe it could be recovered," Burchins said.

His pessimism came not from any misgivings about the quality of police services – he has no fault with local law enforcement, he said – but reflected a concern regarding the speed with which "chop shops" break down cars. His particular car, a black Honda Accord, sits atop the list of most frequently stolen cars.

"During the holiday season, this is a bad time for lots of criminal activity to take place," Burchins said.

He warns others to be on the lookout for property crimes.

"If something like this can happen in the parking lot of city hall, I think that it can happen anywhere," Burchins said.

He recommends people lock their car doors and park in well lit areas to protect their vehicles.