Dr. Phil's stolen 1957 Chevy Bel-Air returned

Detectives recovered Dr. Phil McGraw’s stolen 1957 black Chevy Bel-Air — Tuesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Since the TV host’s car was stolen from a Burbank repair shop in August, the Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention — supervised by the Los Angeles County Sheriff — has been targeting car-theft rings throughout the county.

The investigation also led to the recovery of 13 other stolen vintage cars. In each case, the VIN number was changed to avoid being identified as stolen, officials said. Five of the cars are still being identified.

Numerous suspects have been arrested, police said.

Officials declined to say where McGraw's vehicle was found, said sheriff's Sgt. Richard Pena.

The vintage Chevy had minor body damage, but was in good condition, police said.

McGraw estimated that with its upgrades, the car was worth about $100,000, Burbank police told the The Times in August.

Police encourage anyone with information about the thefts to call Lt. Greg Jones at (626) 572-5620.

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-- Alene Tchekmedyian, Times Community News

Photo: Dr. Phil McGraw speaks onstage during the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at The Orpheum Theatre in 2009. Credit: John Shearer / Getty Images