High Speed Chase Through Tuolumne County And Ends In San Joaquin County
Tuolumne County, CA – A chase reaching speeds of over 90 mph yesterday started in Tuolumne County and ended in San Joaquin after a short foot pursuit with the driver.
A report to the CHP regarding a recently stolen Ford F250 pickup spotted traveling westbound on Highway 120 near Rush Creek Lodge towards Sonora brought officers to the area around 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday (8/20). Near Sims Road, responding officers tried to pull over the truck, but the driver took off, hitting speeds of over 90 mph on Highway 120/108 into the city of Oakdale.
CHP spokesperson Officer Steve Machado detailed, “After entering Oakdale, the vehicle made several turning maneuvers down various roadways until it came to a dead-end road. The driver drove the vehicle around a barrier along a set of railroad tracks until the vehicle could not go any further.”
That is when the driver, 32-year-old Dakota Rhea of Stockton, jumped out of the truck and started running. Machado noted that he did not get far before officers caught up to him and handcuffed him without further incident. Rhea faces felony charges of vehicle theft, evading a peace officer while disregarding safety, wrong-way driving, and having a suspended license. He was also in possession of numerous unidentified stolen items. Machado added, “Rhea is being investigated for two other stolen vehicles that were located in Tuolumne County. This investigation is still ongoing.”
