High on drugs, Burney woman crashes into off-duty RPD officer
REDDING, Calif. — Authorities say a woman was arrested after speeding through a stop sign and plowing into an off-duty Redding police officer earlier this morning, Saturday, Aug. 22.
Both drivers were sent to an area hospital after the rollover crash, which happened at the intersection of Airport Rd. and Hartnell Ave., according to officials.
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City of Redding police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene at 7:38 a.m., after receiving reports of a two-vehicle, rollover traffic collision, Redding Police Corporal Chris Mills later said of this morning’s crash.
When officials arrived they found two wrecked vehicles, since described as a 2017 Honda HRV with heavy front-end damage and 2020 Chevy 2500 pickup truck with major passenger side damage.
The Honda, along with vehicle parts and debris, were blocking the lanes of travel, while the pickup truck was found upside down on its roof, down an embankment near the intersection.
Authorities arrested 41-year-old, Amanda Velasquez, of Burney, after she allegedly ran a stop sign and plowed broadside into a pickup truck driven by an off-duty Redding police officer. RPD photos
Firefighters had to extricate the pickup truck driver from his vehicle and both he and the other driver were transported to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment.
During their subsequent investigation, officers learned Amanda Velazquez, 41, of Burney, was driving the Honda eastbound on Hartnell Ave. just before the collision.
At the same time, Edward Gilmette, a 49-year-old, off-duty Redding police officer was driving the Chevy southbound on Airport Rd.
As Velasquez approached Airport Rd. “at a high rate of speed”, she failed to stop at the posted stop sign at the intersection and plowed into Gilmette’s pickup truck.
The impact of the collision caused Gilmette’s Chevy to leave the roadway and roll down an embankment, leaving the off-duty officer temporarily trapped inside his pickup.
Both Gilmette and Velazquez were wearing their seat belts at the time of the collision, and airbags in both vehicles deployed.
As their investigation continued, officers discovered Velazquez was in possession of suspected methamphetamine, and she admitted to investigating officers that she “used drugs recently,” explained Mills; saying, “Velazquez was evaluated for impairment and arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, causing injury.”
After receiving medical treatment, Velazquez was booked into Shasta County Jail on charges related to the crash and investigation.
Both vehicles were later towed from the scene and Redding PD’s investigation is ongoing.
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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.
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