Despite being threatened, mother turns in intoxicated son after Redding hit and run

December 27, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a Redding man was arrested for DUI and other charges after fleeing from the scene of a hit and run that knocked down a traffic signal pole Sunday evening, Dec. 26. The solo-vehicle hit and run happened at the intersection of E. Cypress and Hartnell avenues, according to officials.

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City of Redding police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene shortly before 7 p.m. after receiving reports of a hit and run traffic collision, Redding Police Sergeant R. Ortega has since said of the incident and arrest.

When officials arrived, they found a traffic control signal sheared off and broken in pieces blocking the roadway with exposed electrical wires arcing. However, the involved vehicle was nowhere to be found.

“Officers immediately cordoned off the area and requested the assistance of Redding Electric Utility and City of Redding Streets Department,” explained Ortega.

William Christopher of Redding was arrested after fleeing the scene of a collision that knocked down a traffic signal Sunday night. Redding Police Department photos

While officers were investigating the collision, SHASCOM emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a woman who reported that her adult son, William Thomas Christopher, 32, of Redding, had shown up at her residence in the 3600 block of Bechelli Lane.

According to the caller, Williams – who was extremely intoxicated – told her and other family members that he had just been involved in a hit and run traffic collision and he allegedly threatened to cause them injury if they reported the crash.

As officers were responding to the residence, they located the vehicle Christopher had been driving at the time of the collision abandoned on Bechelli Lane.

“Officers noted the damage to the abandoned vehicle was consistent with the evidence located at the scene of the traffic collision, which included a license plate from the vehicle in the roadway,” Ortega said; adding that Christopher was located at his mother’s residence and detained for questioning in the non-injury hit and run.

Based on their investigation, officers arrested Christopher and he was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation prior to booking. He was then booked into the Shasta County Jail on suspicion of DUI, hit and run, making criminal threats, and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

Online jail records indicate he remains in custody in lieu of $25,000 bail or bond.

Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R083941 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

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 30 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 18 grandchildren.