I can't speak for him but I had a similar experience years ago. One morning when it was just starting to get light, I was walking out to the barn to do the milking. I heard a noise like banging metal coming from the neighbor's house a quarter mile away. I glanced over and saw some people around a car in their driveway. These neighbors had visitors at all hours of the day and night, so I didn't think much of it. While I was milking, I heard them get in their car and drive away. That afternoon, the sheriff pulled in and said there had been a robbery there and had I seen or heard anything. We walked up to the house and I showed him where I saw the car, told him how many people I saw, described how the people were dressed, estimated their heights, weights, hair color and sex. I tried to describe the car as best I could but it was harder to see. I told them the color, body type and estimated the year. He asked if it was a 2 door or 4 door, but a tree branch blocked my view of the doors. Before he left, he said to keep playing it over in my mind because a lot of times we don't immediately remember everything we saw or heard.
When I went to bed that night I laid there trying to remember anything else. Then I remembered hearing 3 car doors shut at slightly different times. So, it was a 4 door! I called them immediately and told them. They caught them later that night, still wearing the same clothes and in possession of the stolen items. They said my description of the car was what led them to the perps, and I barely saw it. It wasn't until I kept playing it over in my mind that I focused on what I heard, not on what I saw.
