Suspect flees from stolen car near Halcumb cemetery, eludes capture

MONTGOMERY CREEK — A suspect driving a stolen car managed to elude capture after fleeing from Shasta County sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers last night, Sunday, Dec. 2. The incident happened at Halcumb Cemetery on Hwy. 299E, near Fenders Ferry Rd., in the unincorporated Intermountain community of Montgomery Creek.

LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:

Red Bluff man arrested after Redding high-speed pursuit, crash

Traffic stop leads to arrest of pair who burglarized Redding school

Bodies of SoCal men recovered after drowning at Eastman Lake near FRM

Officials searching for the stolen vehicle, described as a small, light-colored passenger car, located the vehicle parked at or near the Halcumb Cemetery just after 9:30 p.m., official radio traffic at the time indicated.

Before deputies could make contact with the driver, he fled from the stolen car, running eastbound through the cemetery, according to radio traffic. Deputies secured the stolen car, while requesting assistance locating the fleeing man. CHP air support was requested, but was unable to respond and assist due to inclement weather.

Despite searching the area for the man who fled into the dark and rainy night, the man was not immediately located or identified.

Motorists driving past the cemetery as last night’s search was happening later described seeing multiple sheriff and CHP patrol vehicles around the stolen vehicle and in the area. Officials with flashlights were seen searching the cemetery and abandoned car, despite the pouring rain and overnight temperatures that eventually dipped to just 15 degrees.

After concluding their search for the man who ran from the car, CHP recovered the stolen vehicle, eventually having it towed and stored until it could be returned to its owner.

Officials did not provide any description of the man who fled or where the car was stolen from and CHP’s investigation is ongoing.

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 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.