Off-Duty Rohnert Park Officer Helps Nab Suspected Car Thieves

ROHNERT PARK, CA -- An observant off-duty Rohnert Park Police officer who happened to notice what he suspected was stolen car a in a parking lot has helped put behind bars two suspected vehicle thieves who wound up leading authorities on a high-speed chase on Highway 101.

At about 1:15 pm on Feb. 1, the off-duty officer observed a black Chevrolet PT Cruiser he believed was stolen parked in the parking lot of a Home Depot store located at 6280 Hembree Lane, in the Town of Windsor. The officer subsequently alerted the Windsor Police Department of the vehicle.

Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Property Crimes Unit and the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force responded to the area and located the unoccupied vehicle. During surveillance of the vehicle, detectives observed two subjects enter the vehicle and drive it around the parking lot at separate times.

At about 2 pm, detectives attempted to make an enforcement stop on the vehicle, but the car fled. As the vehicle exited onto Hembree Lane, the passenger of the vehicle, identified as Marco Zarco, 23, from Petaluma, fled from the passenger side of the vehicle and was detained by detectives.

Deputies from Windsor and the Sheriff’s Office, including a K-9 deputy, continued to pursue the stolen vehicle northbound Highway 101 at speeds of about 100 mph. The pursuit ended at the Mendocino County line, when the driver pulled to the shoulder of Highway 101 and fled the vehicle on foot. The suspect, Gene Nehf, 39 years old from Petaluma, was taken into custody after a brief chase.

Nehf was arrested for an outstanding felony warrant, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, felony evading and resisting arrest. He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail, with a no bail hold.

Zarco was arrested vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and violation of conditional probation. His bail is set at $10,000.

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