Driver In Windsor Stolen Car Pursuit Arrested: Sheriff's Office

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Identification papers in a backpack and an alert resident led to the arrest Tuesday afternoon of a man who allegedly crashed a stolen car and left an injured passenger behind earlier that day, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

The "For Sale" black Honda Civic was stolen from a business parking lot in Ukiah, sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

Around 1:40 a.m. Tuesday, deputies pursued the car from Windsor until it crashed into a tree stump on Porter Creek Road northeast of Santa Rosa and the driver fled into the woods. Deputies remained at the scene to help the injured 32-year-old female passenger inside, Crum said.

Deputies found a backpack in the Honda that contained legal papers in the name of Christopher Terry Burnett, a 26-year-old transient, Crum said.

An alert resident, who was aware of a news release about the pursuit and crash, called the sheriff's office around 4:45 p.m. to report a suspicious person walking on Porter Creek Road.

Deputies responded and found Burnett in the 3100 block of Porter Creek Road. They confirmed he was the driver of the stolen car and the person who fled after the crash, Crum said.

Burnett was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft, false imprisonment, hit-and-run causing injury, evasion, possession of stolen property and possession of a burglary tool found in the Honda, Crum said.

By Bay City News Service

Mugshot courtesy Sonoma County Sheriff's Office