Thrills Of The Highway Patrol 38-xx-xx (02) Case #26 - Auto Safety Check Nets Auto Thief

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Thrills Of The Highway Patrol 38-xx-xx (02) Case #26 - Auto Safety Check Nets Auto Thief
Date: September 14, 2025

This episode of "Harold's Old Time Radio" delivers a thrilling dramatization from the golden days of radio, focusing on how a routine auto safety check by the California Highway Patrol in Eureka, California, uncovers a cunning auto thief. The narrative unfolds through authentic police procedures, lively town dialogue, and a tense pursuit, capturing both the day-to-day grind and moments of real danger for mid-century law enforcement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Highway Patrol Operation

• Location & Time: Eureka, CA, early evening, August 1st
• Objective: Routine inspection for defective headlights by a team including Captain Kirkpatrick, Sergeant Dwaran, and officers Nichols, Peyton, Satan, and Hill.
• Atmosphere: The area is buzzing with vehicles; officers work efficiently to process a long line.

Notable Segment:

[00:24] Officer Peyton: "You have a defective headlight on the right. Will you please drive over to the..."

This snippet sets the procedural station—calm, professional, and somewhat repetitive.

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2. Everyday Citizens: Lighthearted Banter turns Suspicious

• Characters Introduced: Jim Packer (later revealed as the suspect) and Jenny, a local woman he's charming on the way into town.
• Dialogue: Flirtatious, folksy banter celebrates small-town life, Jim boasts about his travels, and claims to be a tractor salesman.
• Underlying Tension: Jim casually mentions the car isn’t his, sowing the first seed of doubt.

Notable Quotes:

[02:49] Jim Packer: "Well, I've got a little money enough. Say, you struck it right, sister. That's what I am, a salesman."
[03:57] Jenny: "Jim, that's... Well, it appears a county courthouse and the sheriff's office right down there ahead."

These moments humanize the interaction and make the eventual twist feel more jarring.

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3. The Suspicion Emerges

• Police Inquiry: Routine headlight check turns probing when Jim admits the car isn’t his.
• Escalation: Jim fumbles for a driver’s license and invents a story about borrowing the car from a man in Crescent City—raising more red flags for officers.

Key Moment:

[05:49] Officer Peyton: "Who was the man you borrowed the car from?"
[05:52] Jim Packer: "...When I mentioned I wanted to come down this way, he told me I could use his car. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it..."

Tension rises as the officers’ questions become more probing.

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4. The Chase: From Inquiry to Pursuit

• Attempted Escape: Jim, now under suspicion, bolts—prompting a chaotic but coordinated foot and vehicle pursuit across Eureka.
• Chaos: Officers fire warning shots, radio for backup, and work as a team to box Jim in.

Memorable Sequence:

[07:12] Officer Nichols: "Hey. Hey, where are you going? Hey, come back here, you fool. Hey, stop. Stop or I'll have to plug you."
[08:56] Officer Nichols: "Hey, what's going on here?"
[09:07] Captain Kirkpatrick: "Got away. No, he didn’t. There he goes down the alley there. He’s ducking into that restaurant. I’ll follow him."

This entire extended section (07:12–09:20) is filled with the tension and sense of urgency characteristic of classic radio dramas.

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5. The Capture and Aftermath

• Climax: Jim is cornered after running through alleys and businesses, desperate to escape.
• Struggle: In a brief, violent confrontation, officers subdue him—shots are fired, but Jim is apprehended.
• Revelation: Jim (alias “Parman”) is wanted for murder in Roseville; the police discuss the seriousness of the case.

Standout Exchanges:

[09:32] Officer Nichols: "Yeah, how’d you to get me, copper? Keep back, keep back. You’ll be loose. That man's dangerous. Keep back there." [10:24] Officer Nichols: "You better. Just a minute." [10:25] Captain Kirkpatrick: "Right away. Say, who is this guy we've been chasing anyway? By a debt Parman who's running for murder over in Roseville." [10:46] Officer Nichols: "I don't mean for him."
[10:47] Captain Kirkpatrick: "I mean for you. Me? Say, it'll take a lot more than powder burns to get me in one of those things."

These lines reveal the officers’ camaraderie and gallows humor, underlining the gravity and danger of their work.

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• 00:55, Practical Policing:
  Officer Peyton: "Oh, no, no. Just pull over to the curb and have one of those officers fill out this card. Then go to an official headlight, have the necessary work done and mail the card to us."

• 03:19, Small-Town Support:
  Jenny: "And Jim, I know a lot of farmers might be able to use your tractors. I can introduce you to them."

• 07:12, The Chase Begins:
  Officer Nichols: "Hey, Hey, where are you going? Hey, come back here, you fool."

• 09:32, Confrontation:
  Officer Nichols: "Yeah, How'd you to get me, copper? Keep back, keep back. You’ll be loose. That man's dangerous. Keep back there."

• 10:47, Gallows Humor:
  Captain Kirkpatrick: "I mean for you. Me? Say, it'll take a lot more than powder burns to get me in one of those things."

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Key Timestamps

• 00:24–01:55: Highway patrol’s detailed safety check procedures
• 02:01–03:57: Jim and Jenny’s car conversation—builds background and sets up the intrigue
• 04:37–06:30: The headlight check that turns into a criminal investigation
• 07:12–09:20: The thrilling chase through Eureka’s streets
• 09:31–10:47: Dramatic capture, reveal of the true criminal, and officers’ post-capture remarks

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Conclusion

This classic radio drama episode delivers suspense, period detail, and swift plot twists, illustrating how even routine law enforcement can suddenly become life-and-death. The sharp, authentic banter among officers, alongside quick-witted suspects, typifies the genre. True to the promise of "Thrills of the Highway Patrol," this story blends community policing, unexpected crime, and the pulse-quickening pace of a criminal chase—inviting modern listeners back to a golden age of storytelling around the radio.

Transcript

[Jim Packer]

Case number 26, which you are about to hear, takes us to Eureka, California. It is early in the evening of August 1st. And a squad of California Highway Patrol officers, including Captain Kirkpatrick, Sergeant Dwaran and officers Nichols, Satan and Hill are conducting a light raid against defective headlights on Fourth street near the sheriff's office in county courthouse.

[Officer Peyton]

You have a defective headlight on the right. Will you please drive over to the.

[Officer Nichols]

Curb and hand this card to one.

[Officer Peyton]

Of those officers over there?

[Jim Packer]

All right, Officer.

[Officer Nichols]

Okay, Peyton, next car.

[Officer Peyton]

Good evening. Will you direct your headlights on that screen now, please turn off the high.

[Jim Packer]

Beam ending the monitor with my light, Officer?

[Officer Peyton]

Yes, yes, I'll need some adjusting. They're pointed too high and they're glaring.

[Jim Packer]

Well, I didn't know about that, Officer. You going to give me a ticket?

[Officer Peyton]

Oh, no, no. Just pull over to the curb and have one of those officers fill out this card. Then go to an official headlight, have the necessary work done and mail the card to us.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Sure, sir.

[Officer Nichols]

All right, Peyton, next car. Hey, say, Sergeant to Oren.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

You call me Captain Kirkpatrick.

[Officer Peyton]

Yeah, yeah. How much of a line have we stacked up here?

[Jim Packer]

Well, they go back quite a way. There's a lot of cars coming into Eureka tonight. Looks like most of them have bad headlights.

[Officer Peyton]

Well, see if we can speed up operations a little. Lance. I'll go ahead here with a screen. All right, sir. Will you turn your headlights on the screen there?

[Jenny]

Oh, Jim, you're a card. Honestly, I'm having more fun. I don't want to have enjoyed myself so.

[Jim Packer]

You and me both, sister. Say, I'm glad I stopped at your place for dinner. I didn't know I'd get a nice girlfriend for dessert.

[Jenny]

There you go again, you and your wisecrack. Ain't any guy that stops at the inn for supper asks me to go into town to go dancing.

[Jim Packer]

Ah, go on, Jenny. I bet you get lots of dates. You're a pretty swell looking gal. You know, I bet I'm just lucky you weren't all set to go out tonight. Say, we're really gonna have a lot of fun tonight. I haven't been dancing since I was down in Stockton.

[Jenny]

Way down there. Gosh, you've been doing a lot of traveling, haven't you?

[Jim Packer]

Sure, I get around. I've been as far south as ensenada. That's about 100 miles over the Mexican bor. I've been to Denver and up to Portland. I've been just about every place in the West.

[Jenny]

Golly, I sure envy you. You must Have a lot of money to go traveling so much. You a salesman or something?

[Jim Packer]

Well, I've got a little money enough. Say, you struck it right, sister. That's what I am, a salesman.

[Jenny]

No wonder you get around. What line do you sell for?

[Jim Packer]

Well, I sell tractors. Elgin Tractors. Yeah, I've just been sent up here to cover this territory.

[Jenny]

Elgin Tractors? I never heard of them. They must be a new kind.

[Jim Packer]

Yeah, they are. That's why they sent me here, to open up this territories.

[Jenny]

And we'll be able to see a lot more of each other, won't we?

[Jim Packer]

You said it, baby.

[Jenny]

And Jim, I know a lot of farmers might be able to use your tractors. I can introduce you to them.

[Jim Packer]

That'll be swell, Jenny, but let's not talk business. We're out to have a real big time.

[Officer Nichols]

You bet we are.

[Jenny]

Say, look, there's the bridge. We're in Eureka already. Gosh, I was so busy talking I didn't notice.

[Jim Packer]

So this is Eureka, is it?

[Jenny]

Yeah, sure it is.

[Jim Packer]

It's quite a little town, isn't it?

[Jenny]

Oh, it's the biggest town any place around here.

[Jim Packer]

Say, you ought to see some of the cities I've been in. They're real towns.

[Jenny]

Oh, we have everything. Any other place place has right here.

[Jim Packer]

Oh, sure, sure. I. I haven't said anything about it, have I? I just meant that sometimes I've seen would make this place look kind of small, that's all. Why, I can see this is quite a place, all right. You know, I think I'm going to like this part of the country.

[Jenny]

You think so? Jim, that's. Well, it appears a county courthouse and the sheriff's office right down there ahead.

[Jim Packer]

Where?

[Jenny]

Right down there where they're stopping all those cars.

[Jim Packer]

Well, they are stopping cars, aren't they? Wonder what's up?

[Jenny]

I don't know. Maybe they're testing headlights. Pop's been stopped three times every time he's had to have his headlights.

[Jim Packer]

Yeah, that's what it is. A chicken headlight.

[Jenny]

Hey, the policeman struggling for you to come around. See that big screen with the lines on it? You have to shine your lights on that. That officer is struggling for you to drive up in front of the screen.

[Jim Packer]

Yeah, I see.

[Officer Peyton]

Good evening. Would you please shine your headlights on that screen ahead?

[Jim Packer]

Sure thing, officer.

[Officer Peyton]

Now, will you turn up the high beam there?

[Jim Packer]

Anything wrong with.

[Officer Peyton]

One of them is out of alignment. You'll have to get it adjusted.

[Jim Packer]

Well, say, officer, this isn't my car. I borrowed it from a friend of mine this afternoon. Do I have to get that headlight fixed tonight. I'd hate to spoil a good evening fooling around getting a light fixed. Especially when this isn't my car.

[Officer Peyton]

No, no, you won't have to get it fixed tonight.

[Jim Packer]

Well, what do I do?

[Officer Peyton]

I'll take this card over to one of the officers at the curb. He'll tell you what to do with it.

[Jim Packer]

Do I just give it to the man I borrowed this car from then?

[Officer Peyton]

Yeah, yeah, the owner's responsible.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Pardon me.

[Jim Packer]

I think we better check his license number.

[Officer Peyton]

All right. Sergeant. Are you sure this isn't your car you're driving?

[Jim Packer]

Why, no, no, it isn't. I borrowed it from a fellow this afternoon.

[Officer Peyton]

What's your name?

[Jim Packer]

Packer, Jim Packer.

[Officer Peyton]

May I see your driver's license?

[Jim Packer]

Sure. Here it is, right in. Say, I don't have it after all. I must have left it my other coat this afternoon.

[Officer Nichols]

Is something the matter, officer?

[Officer Peyton]

Well, who was the man you borrowed the car from?

[Jim Packer]

Why, it was a man in Crescent City at the hotel there. I got to talking with him this afternoon. When I mentioned I wanted to come down this way, he told me I could use his car. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He seemed like a pretty decent sort of fella. And when he insisted that I use his car, I just went ahead and took it. I hope nothing's wrong. I'd hate to get in any sort of a mix up.

[Officer Peyton]

Would you mind stepping out of the car while I check the registration slip?

[Jim Packer]

Certainly. After anything at all. Say, if you doubt my story at you can check it by phoning a hotel there in Crescent City. They'll tell you who I am all right. And they'll know who the man is that I borrowed the car from.

[Officer Peyton]

I see. Well, I guess we better do that. You come with me. Jumps the step over here to the sheriff's office.

[Jim Packer]

Certainly. You stay right here, Jenny. I'll be back in a minute. Don't worry about anything.

[Jenny]

Okay, Jim.

[Jim Packer]

All right, baby.

[Officer Peyton]

You.

[Officer Nichols]

Say, Sergeant, take charge of the light.

[Officer Peyton]

Screen while I step over to the sheriff's office with this young man.

[Jim Packer]

Okay, Captain.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

All right, Peyton, send the next one out. I'll pull this car on over to the curb.

[Jim Packer]

I can't understand how anything can be the manor Officer. I'm sure there must be some sort of a misunderstanding.

[Officer Peyton]

Well, it'll only take us a second to check on your story.

[Jim Packer]

Yeah, but I. I don't want to have any trouble here.

[Officer Peyton]

Oh, we're not going to have any trouble. I just want to talk Things over.

[Officer Nichols]

Hey. Hey, where are you going? Hey, come back here, you fool. Hey, stop. Stop or I'll have to plug you. He's heading through that service station, Captain. Shall I shoot over his head? No, no, keep running, Nichols. I'll try to stop him with this. He's stopping in of the street, shooting back at us. He must be one of the men we're looking for. Pull down on him, Nichols. He means business. He's running to work. Next. Hill, you and Nichols keep Abstrum on foot. Hey, D. Warren, go out from in the squad car. I'm going to turn in a general alarm. Come on, Hill. This guy must be a church star the way he's gaining on us. If you get a chance, shoot to stop him. There goes Duarn. I hope he gets that guy before he has a chance to dive into an alley or something. Maybe one of the city patrolmen will see him and stop him on suspicious. Our only chance is to get him in a hurry.

[Jim Packer]

Good evening, Officer o'.

[Officer Nichols]

Neal.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

How's the police working going tonight? Oh, hello there, George. Everything all right with you? All things are going nicely, o'.

[Jim Packer]

Neil. Very nicely. Say, what's that? Must be a fire someplace.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Oh, that isn't a fire siren, that's police car.

[Jim Packer]

Sounds like it's coming closer to me.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

But we just over the next block.

[Jim Packer]

Hey, look, here's a guy coming down the alley.

[Officer Peyton]

Highway patrol car chasing him.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

There you go.

[Officer Nichols]

Stop the highway patrol.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Hey, that pool room across the street.

[Officer Nichols]

Never mind.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

That guy won't stop at anything to get away here in the dark. Hey.

[Officer Nichols]

Hey, what's going on here?

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Oh, it's you, o'.

[Jim Packer]

Neal.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Hey, where's the guy that just ran through here?

[Jim Packer]

Oh, he ducked out the back window into the alley.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

I'll take this door over here.

[Jim Packer]

You go out.

[Officer Nichols]

That one.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Got away. No, he didn't. There he goes down the alley there. He's ducking into that restaurant. I'll follow him.

[Officer Nichols]

You circle around the front and try.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

To stop him as he comes through. Okay, but watch yourself. You'll sooner know you if you get the chance.

[Officer Nichols]

I'll take care of him.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

All right.

[Officer Nichols]

Where's that fellow?

[Jim Packer]

Just came in here.

[Officer Nichols]

He gets the car through that door.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

What is trouble here?

[Officer Nichols]

Everyone sees the craze, they're running through my place. Hey, you.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

You're under arrest.

[Officer Nichols]

Yeah, How'd you to get me, copper? Keep back, keep back. You'll be loose. That man's dangerous. Keep back there.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

All right, you stand where you are.

[Officer Nichols]

Do I look crazy? Cheat me around the shape of copper. I'll let you have it. Hey, if I get my hands on you. Okay. Here you go, pal. No, he's going out door. Out, sir. Stop that gun, you. Oh, no, you don't. Drop that gun. I think f. Right in the stomach. Oh, no, you don't. Okay, o', Neill. It's all good. Getting away. Oh, did he hit you?

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

No. Could have shot right past my face, so burning up the powder. Well, this is too close for comfort. I'll have the boys run you over to the hospital the minute they arrive.

[Officer Nichols]

Hey, Tone that. Hold that water.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Tell them send a squad car down here right away.

[Officer Nichols]

You better. Just a minute.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

Right away. Say, who is this guy we've been chasing anyway? By a debt Parman who's running for murder over in Roseville. Oh, Parman, eh? Say, aren't there supposed to be a couple of other guys with him? Yeah. Well, is there anything like this bird? Going to have our hands full now. Here comes one of the cars now. You want me to send for an ambulance? You think you're getting that? H that.

[Officer Nichols]

I don't mean for him.

[Captain Kirkpatrick]

I mean for you. Me? Say, it'll take a lot more than powder burns to get me in one of those things.