On 08/20/2014, at approximately 1:45 am,
an officer from the Angels Camp Police Department was on patrol near
the intersection of Copello Drive and North Main Street. The officer
observed the driver of a red 1994 Honda Accord commit two traffic
violations; failing to dim the high beam headlights for an oncoming
vehicle, and crossing over solid double yellow lines.
The
officer conducted a traffic enforcement stop of the Honda, and the
driver pulled the vehicle to the shoulder and stopped near the entrance
to Grubstake Storage. As the officer walked towards the vehicle, which
occupied by a male driver and a female passenger, the male driver fled
and began driving northbound on Hwy 49. The officer returned to his
vehicle, activated his emergency lights and sirens, and began to pursue
the Honda in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
Deputies from the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department and officers from the California Highway Patrol were called to assist.
The
vehicle failed to yield to the officer and continued to drive
erratically and violate multiple traffic laws. The pursuit continued
through San Andreas, heading west on Hwy 12 toward Valley Springs. The
driver made a u-turn on Hwy 12 near the Double Springs Monument, and
continued east on Hwy 12 and then south on Hwy 49. South of San Andreas
the driver “blacked-out” the vehicle, turning off all exterior lighting,
and in the interest of public safety the pursuit was terminated by the
Angels Camp Police Department.
The
vehicle was later located abandoned on Hwy 49 near the Calaveras Cement
Bridge and determined to be an unreported stolen vehicle from Manteca. A
search of the immediate area was conducted and 28 year old Escalon
resident Lester Dias and 27 year old Manteca resident Melanie Rife were
located and arrested.
Both
Dias and Rife were booked in to the Calaveras County Jail on charges
related to evading a peace officer, vehicle theft, assault with a deadly
weapon, receiving stolen property, and possession of a controlled
substance.
