Police arrest man who led officers on pursuit in stolen vehicle
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police officers arrested a Rohnert Park man on Wednesday after he led them on a high speed chase in a stolen vehicle filled with a large amount of methamphetamine and paraphernalia.
Johnny Raymond Ware, 48, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning, police reported.
Police said just before 9 a.m. Officer Chris Kelleher was cruising back into Clearlake on Lakeshore Drive after a brief stint at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
As he was driving into town, Officer Kelleher was behind a vehicle which caught his attention. The vehicle was obviously spray-painted black and also appeared to be a 1990s model Honda, police said.
The agency said Officer Kelleher has recovered seven stolen vehicles within the last six months, three or more being 1990s Hondas. It is common for suspects to spray paint them to make them less recognizable.
Police said a check of the license plate on the rear of the vehicle revealed it belonged on an Acura and not a Honda.
Officer Kelleher followed the vehicle until it began to turn into the parking lot of El Grande, turning on his red and blue emergency lights. Police said Ware, the driver of the vehicle, didn’t stop for Officer Kelleher right away, so he honked a few times for good measure.
Ware stopped his vehicle in the rear parking area of El Grande and Officer Kelleher attempted to speak with him. Police said Ware started to pull away while cursing at the officer out of the driver’s window. Ware then accelerated and led Kelleher on a pursuit, driving through traffic on Lakeshore Drive and heading for Old Highway 53.
Police said Officer Cali Batz got into position behind Officer Kelleher in the pursuit, and both units pursued Ware.
Ware crossed into both lanes of traffic, went off the roadway, and nearly struck several other uninvolved vehicles and caused an older man walking his dog to dive out of the way, police said.
Police said Ware turned onto Kett Avenue, but couldn’t quite handle the Honda and spun out near Putnam Lane.
While officers were trying to place Ware into handcuffs, K-9 Officer Mark Harden and his partner “Zip” arrived on scene. After a few barks from “Zip” Johnny thought better of any further resistance and was arrested.
The vehicle Ware was driving did in fact turn out to be stolen. Police said the vehicle had previously been a very identifiable teal color, which was barely visible under the spray paint job, police said.
During a search of the vehicle, police said officers discovered approximately 42 grams of methamphetamine, an amount indicating possession for sales, 41 hypodermic syringes and a glass smoking pipe.
In addition to being under arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing from officers in a vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for public safety, methamphetamine sales and possession of paraphernalia, police said Ware also had several outstanding warrants from other law enforcement agencies in the area.
Ware was checked out at the hospital for some minor injuries and booked into the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $50,000. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
The Clearlake Police Department thanked the observant drivers who were able to make way for officers during this incident.