Alleged Power Tool Thieves Nabbed After Car Chase Through Sonoma County: Police

NORTH BAY, CA -- Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies say they arrested three Central Valley suspects for a commercial burglary after a high speed pursuit on Thursday.

The incident began at about 5:20 a.m. when a the manager of the John Deere tractor dealer in the 4100 block of S. Moorland Ave in Santa Rosa called Sheriff’s dispatch reporting that a silent alarm had been tripped and that he was watching several suspects burglarize his store via his cellular phone.

Deputies say they responded to find broken glass and cut locks left behind. Authorities also say that it appeared that the store was ransacked and a large amount of power tools had been taken. The manager told dispatch that he watched the suspects leave in a white panel van.

A patrol officer from the Rohnert Park Dept. of Public Safety heard the call over the radio and positioned himself at Stony Point Road and Rohnert Park Expressway. Shortly thereafter, the white panel van passed his location southbound on Stony Point Road.

When he ran the license plate, he said learned the van was reported stolen out of Atascadero. The officer, assisted by a Cotati Police Dept. officer, made a traffic stop on the van at Hwy 116 just west of Stony Point Road. The driver opened his door and appeared to be pushed out of the van by one of the passengers. The driver fell to the ground and the van fled westbound at a high rate of speed.

The Cotati police officer took the driver, 34-year-old Larry Echols from Fresno into custody without incident as the Rohnert Park officer gave chase of the van. The van continued westbound on Hwy 116 toward Sebastopol at about 80 mph, police say. As the van reached Bloomfield Road, a Sheriff’s deputy deployed a spike strip and punctured the left front tire of the van. The driver then turned left onto Lynch Road and then left onto Beattie Lane, a dead end road.

The alleged driver, Wayne Lindsey, a 23-year-old man from Firebaugh, Calif. stopped the van and gave up without further incident, police say, but that the alleged passenger, Jeremy Escover, 36 of Fresno was taken into custody as he tried to flee out the back door of the van. He fell upon his exit and was quickly apprehended by officers, authorities say.

Deputies recovered about 45 STIHL brand power tools with a value of over $13,000, pictured above. All three suspects were booked into Sonoma County Jail.

Wayne Lindsey is charged with burglary, conspiracy, possession of a stolen vehicle and evading a peace officer. Larry Echols is charged with burglary, conspiracy and possession of a stolen vehicle. Jeremy Escover was charged with burglary and conspiracy. All are being held on $300,000 bail.

Sheriff’s Property Crimes Detectives believe there are other people associated with the burglary and are investigating the crime. If anyone knows anything about the case, they're encouraged to call (707) 565-2185.

Image via Sonoma County Sheriff's Office