MODESTO, Calif. -- A Central Valley County has been tagged with the dubious title of car theft capital of the United States, at least for its size.

Rick Faulkner represents one of the thousands of people who have their car stolen every year. Officers say this year they expect 6,000 cars were taken in Stanislaus County alone. Statistics like that have made the county tops for car thefts in relationship to its population.

Faulkner's truck was stolen twice in a matter of months.

"It's right in front of the house. That's the funny part. How do they get it?" Faulkner said.

When investigators found Faulkner's truck on Thursday, it was stripped, ripped and ruined.

Six tenants in Faulkner's apartment have moved out because their cars were stolen or broken into, according to Faulkner.

"They were stealing car radios. They were stealing the speakers out of the back. They stole shoes out of the car. Anything they could get a hold of, they're taking," said apartment manager Zhelma Davis.

Investigators said part of the problem in Stanislaus County is the growing number of methamphetamine users who are looking for quick cash. But Sgt. Rick Gilstrap also faults drivers for being careless.

"One morning last week, we had three taken in a matter of 40 minutes, just in the city of Modesto, from people warming up their cars," Gilstrap said.

And while Stanislaus County is No. 1, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties are not far behind, according to authorities.