NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Redwood Valley man was arrested late last month after he led Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies on a chase in a truck stolen from Lake County.
Ben Brooks, 34, was arrested on Dec. 23, according to a report from Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
At 11 p.m. Dec. 23 Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies observed a white Ford Ranger pickup with a partially obscured license plate on Branscomb Road near the intersection of Willis Avenue in Laytonville, Van Patten said.
Van Patten said the deputies attempted a traffic stop for the equipment violation but the driver accelerated dramatically and fled southbound on Highway 101.
The deputies pursued the pickup truck through rainy weather at speeds between 80 and 90 miles per hour with emergency lights and sirens activated, Van Patten said.
At approximately MPM 61.53 on Highway 101, the driver lost control of the pickup truck, causing it to careen up a hillside, spin in several tight circles and finally flip over onto its roof in the center of Highway 101, according to Van Patten.
Van Patten said the driver, later identified as Brooks, emerged from a window and fled on foot, resulting in an extensive search that failed to locate him.
Deputies subsequently discovered the pickup truck had been reported stolen from Lake County, Van Patten said.
The following day, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a resident in the 35000 block of North Highway 101 discovered Brooks hiding in a storage shed and called law enforcement, Van Patten said.
He said deputies responded and arrested Brooks on charges related to the stolen vehicle and the vehicle pursuit, as well as a Mendocino County arrest warrant.
Brooks suffered significant injuries in the traffic accident the previous night and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, Van Patten said.
Van Patten said that on Dec. 27 Brooks was medically cleared for incarceration and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $120,000 bail.
Mendocino County deputies apprehend man in stolen Lake County truck
- Lake County News reports
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