CLEARLAKE >> Police arrested a Hidden Valley Lake man after a high speed chase on Monday morning.
The incident began just before 5 a.m., when Clearlake police officers were dispatched to a report of a property damage hit and run collision near the intersections of Old Highway 53 and Saroni Parkway. Witnesses described the suspect vehicle as a large white diesel pickup truck.
An officer who was heading to the call, observed a lifted white Ford diesel pickup slide into the intersection of Old Highway 53 and Lakeshore Dr. The truck matched the description of the suspect vehicle and also had what appeared to be fresh front end damage. The truck backed up and fled.
According to a statement released by Clearlake police, the vehicle headed on Lakeshore Dr. towards Highway 53. The officer began to pursue the vehicle with his emergency lights and siren activated.
The truck headed south on Highway 53 then south onto Highway 29 with speeds ranging between 65 and 110 miles per hour, police report. Lake County Sheriff”s Department also joined the pursuit.
As the pursued vehicle neared the community of Hidden Valley Lake, the truck crashed through a fence near the main entrance gate and drove out onto the golf course. The truck became disabled and the driver then fled on foot. The driver, later identified as 19-year-old Donald Leos of Hidden Valley Lake, jumped into one of the ponds on the golf course in an attempt to evade capture.
This maneuver, however was unsuccessful.
Leos allegedly exhibited symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances and was confrontational with officers. Leos was transported to Saint Helena Hospital Clearlake for medical evaluation and later booked into the Lake County Jail. The truck Leos had been driving was discovered to be a stolen vehicle out of Hidden Valley Lake.
Leos was ultimately charged with felony evading, felony evading-wrong way driver, felony possession of stolen property, felony stolen vehicle, misdemeanor resisting arrest, misdemeanor hit and run-property damage, and misdemeanor driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol.
