Family Crisis
| Family Crisis | |
| Episode # | 203 |
| Air Date | September 30, 1978 |
| Briefing | Auto theft is overworked & movie prop car is stolen / Movie car performing robberies / Go catch the movie car thieves |
Plot
While directing traffic, Jon sees his nephew, Wes Miller. Shortly later, they see someone stealing a motorcycle and chase him. Sindy joins in but is arrested by an LAPD officer who thinks she's an accomplice. Ponch and Jon free her.
After the briefing, Ponch sells his motor home. After lunch with Fritz and Grossie, Jon's nephew and his friends steal another car.
Later that day, Jon drives his truck to Ponch's new apartment near the marina but finds that the waterbed in the apartment upstairs flooded his. When he moves into the temporary (more expensive) apartment and sees the woman upstairs, he decides to move in there.
Later, Ponch, Jon, and Wes go to dinner with some other CHP officers. The next day, Wes & friends abandon a stolen car. Ponch and Jon are checking it out when they get a call about the movie car and head towards it. Sindy gives up her chase after skidding on the oil and the car gets away. Ponch brings Wes's bus pass to him and tells him he knows he's involved in the car thefts but that Jon doesn't. He promises not to tell if Wes stops riding in stolen cars.
Later, Sindy gets called in by the Captain about her report on the movie car thieves.
Meanwhile, Wes is out on an unopen section of the 210 freeway racing cars when Grossie spots them. Ponch and Jon join in as they leave the freeway. When they finally catch them, Jon arrests Wes. Wes gets off with a misdemeanor.
Out on the streets, Ponch spots a familiar trash rig and they decide to stake it out. The movie car pulls off another robbery and the CHP was ready. After a chasing the car while it uses smoke screen and other movie devices, they trap it on a pier and the thieves eject and land in the water.
At Ponch's house warming party, we find out that Sindy got a commendation.
Guest Stars
- Christopher Knight (TV's Peter Brady as Jon's nephew, Wes Miller)
- Danny Bonaduce (from The Partridge Family as Fred)
- Jack Carter (as Salesman)
- Don Stark (as Officer Allen)
- Denise DuBarry (as Sue)
- Gene Dynarski (as Capt. Grube)
- Shell Kepler (as Gail)
- Leslie King (as Betsy)
- Joan Crosby (as Manager)
- Michael Potter (as Detective)
Crew
- Written by: William D. Gordon and James Doherty
- Directed by: Phil Bondelli