Hitchhiker Who Fled From Police Turns Out To Be A Wanted Felon: Sonoma Sheriff

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- A hitchhiker who fled when contacted by authorities as he was walking in and out of traffic was discovered to have outstanding warrants after he was arrested early Wednesday morning, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

Michael McGinnis, 47, of Santa Rosa, who was taken in for resisting arrest, has three outstanding felony warrants, according to authorities.

The incident began at about 6:10 a.m. on May 10, when a sheriff’s deputy tried to contact a man hitchhiking and walking in and out of traffic on River Road near Woolsey Road. The man, later identified as McGinnis, did not stop walking. After the deputy asked him to stop several times, McGinnis ran across River Road and into a nearby vineyard and was chased by the deputy, authorities say.

After McGinnis crawled under a vineyard row, the deputy again asked McGinnis to stop and when McGinnis continued to crawl away, the deputy deployed his Taser once, according to the sheriff's office. McGinnis then was taken into custody.

McGinnis was arrested and charged with resisting a peace officer. He's also being held in custody at the Sonoma County jail on three outstanding felony warrants for violation of probation and failure to appear.

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