Redding hit and run leads to DUI arrest

June 12, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif. — A man on felony probation was arrested after allegedly fleeing the scene of a head-on traffic collision in Redding Wednesday afternoon, June 10.

Two people inside the vehicle the man ran into were injured, including one who was hospitalized after the crash, which happened on the 200 block of Hilltop Dr. The victims’ injuries were described as minor.

LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:
UPDATE: Man who ripped the flesh from his own arm with his teeth later dies at hospital
UPDATE: Fire that destroyed Burney home knocked down
Man arrested after disturbance leads to discovery of drugs

Redding police and fire officials were dispatched to the scene of the crash around 3:30 p.m., after receiving reports of a hit and run traffic collision, Redding Police Cpl. Jon Sheldon later said of the crash and subsequent arrest.

When officials arrived at the scene they found two wrecked vehicles, described as a black Ford F150 with major front-end damage and white passenger van with major front and driver’s side damage.

Officers also learned the driver of the pickup truck who caused the collision had fled the scene prior to their arrival.

Two people were injured and one was hospitalized after a DUI related head-on collision on Hilltop Dr. Redding PD photos

During their subsequent investigation, officers learned the driver of the truck who later fled the scene was traveling south on Hilltop Dr. when he made a left turn directly into the oncoming van, which had been traveling north when the accident occurred.

The truck then crashed into a tree, at which time the driver fled the scene on foot.

Both occupants from the van sustained lacerations and other injuries and the driver was transported by ground ambulance to an area hospital for further treatment.

Officers began searching for the driver and with help from California Highway Patrol’s Northern Division Air Operations, officials spotted a man several blocks away who matched the description provided by witnesses.

Officers contacted the man, later identified as Hal Kimberly Sutherland, 33, of Redding.

Although Sutherland had changed his clothes in an attempt to disguise his appearance, he later admitted to officers that he was driving the Ford at the time of the collision.

While interviewing and evaluating Sutherland, officers determined he was under the influence of a combination of illegal drugs, according to Sheldon.

Hal Sutherland was arrested after allegedly crashing head-on into a van and then fleeing the scene of the collision. Redding PD photo

Based on their investigation officers arrested Sutherland and he was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of driving under the influence causing injury, fleeing the scene of a collision and violating the terms of his Post Release Community Supervision.

Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 20R036074 and can remain anonymous.

This article sponsored by:

For more information about Junior’s Westside Auto Sales visit them on Facebook or online

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.