ProRodeo Sports News - May 14, 2021

he has a U-Haul, orange-collared shirt on and he’s holding a clipboard. “He walks up, and he says, ‘Hey, cowboys were you at a rodeo?’ He was really nice, and he asked us how we did, and we told him we rode good, and he was like that’s awesome. I asked him do I need to clean the trash out (of the U-Haul) and he was like, ‘No, brother, just give me the key and you will be good.’ “I thought what a nice guy working out here at 4 in the morning. We got an Uber and went to the airport and we flew out.” Sellars didn’t think anything about his U-Haul drop- off until about two months later when he received an unexpected phone call. “I was at the College National Finals Rodeo (in Casper, Wyo.) and I get a call from the L.A. Police Department,” he said. “They said, ‘Is this Clayton Sellars?’ I say, ‘Yes, sir.’ He then asked me if I rented a U-Haul two months ago in Inglewood, Calif., and I said, ‘Yes sir.’ He asked me if there was a man in the parking lot when I turned it back in, and I said, ‘Yes, I gave him the keys.’ He (the police officer) said the man stole that truck and has been driving around in that truck for like two months and we finally caught him. The police officer told me this guy and his girlfriend had been stealing cars for three years and they finally caught him, and he appreciated my help.” By Sellars’ rental being stolen, it helped the police track down the car thief. Sellars couldn’t believe what he was hearing on the other end of the line. “I’m telling you he looked like he worked there,” Sellars said. “I thought he worked for U-Haul. I thought he was just a nice guy putting in his hours early in the morning and I handed him the keys. We went to the airport and he drove off. I will give the guy credit because he put on an orange-colored U-Haul, collared shirt and he was holding a clipboard in his hand. He looked really official.” Petri remembers the situation too.

Photo courtesy Clayton Sellars Bull riders and good friends Jesse Petri, left, and Clayton Sellars share a light moment at Petri’s wedding. Sellars and Petri were unknowingly caught up in a crime when someone stole a U-Haul they rented in Inglewood, Calif.

keys. I said I thought the guy was sketchy, but we were in L.A. and I thought maybe people here don’t look real professional. When we were driving through there to take the car back, there was graffiti everywhere and I thought this guy wasn’t going to look like a real businessman. It was crazy.”

“When we got to the U-Haul place, it was really dark around the place and there was just this random dude standing out there,” said Petri, 23. “He was sketchy looking, but Clayton just went with the flow and gave the guy the

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ProRodeo Sports News 5/14/2021

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