Officials searching for driver after Burney hit and run

BURNEY — Authorities are searching for the driver of a pickup truck who crashed into a tree this morning, Monday, Nov. 12. According to officials, the driver is unlicensed and well known to them and has been the subject of several previous hit and runs and interactions. The solo-vehicle crash happened in the area of Park Ave. and Long Leaf Ln., near Washburn Park.

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CHP was dispatched to the collision shortly before 10:45 a.m., after receiving multiple reports of a vehicle that left the roadway and crashed into a tree. 911 callers described the pickup as an older, white, Chevy extra cab.

When CHP arrived they found the open and abandoned pickup truck against a tree. Witnesses at the scene told the officer that the driver, described as a Hispanic male with a bald head and wearing blue or grey pants, had fled the area immediately after the crash.

It was not known if the man left the scene of the crash to seek assistance or medical care, or if the person was trying to avoid responsibility for the crash.

CHP requested assistance from deputies assigned to the Burney Mountain Station and asked that they respond to the area and be on the lookout for the man who reportedly fled the accident.

During their investigation officials recognized the involved vehicle and advised dispatch they had worked several previous hit and runs involving the same vehicle and driver, identified as Isaac R. Smith, of Burney. A records check confirmed Smith did not have a valid driver’s license, which was suspended for a previous DUI.

Shortly before 11:20 a.m. CHP and Sheriff’s officials at the scene updated that they were responding to Shasta Green to contact the registered owner of the truck, while another deputy remained at the scene of the crash waiting for a tow truck to arrive and impound the wrecked vehicle.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.