Thursday, 18 October 2007 12:23

Burglar Captured Following High Speed Chase

slide10Amador County law enforcement nabbed one of the bad guys Wednesday. At about 4:30 Wednesday morning, an Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy noticed a suspicious pick-up and sedan parked near Prospect Motors in Martell. One of the vehicles, a Silver Ford F-150 pick-up truck, quickly sped away from the area. A DMV registration check flagged the pick up as stolen out of Gilroy, California. With assistance from a second Amador County Sheriff’s Unit and Jackson Police, the deputy attempted to detain the stolen vehicle now traveling at high speed west on Highway 88, accelerating to approximately 90 miles per hour. The pursuit was joined by a California Highway Patrol unit, an Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy and an Amador County Sheriff’s Sergeant, continuing east to Highway 12 and into Calaveras County.
East of the town of Wallace, the stolen vehicle left the roadway, rolled twice, and came to rest on its side in a field.  Joseph Jacob Uvalles, 21, of San Jose was taken into custody at the scene. Uvalles suffered no visible injuries, but was attended by medical personnel at the scene. A search of the stolen vehicle revealed burglary tools and stolen property associated with Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Martell. A check of Enterprise Rent-A-Car revealed that the suspect or suspects had disabled electricity and telephones before forcing entry into Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Amador County Sheriff’s Office is investigating that scene. Upon contacting the Gilroy Police Department, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office was advised that the stolen vehicle was connected to an arson that occurred in Gilroy. Law enforcement is still on the lookout for the dark color sedan seen with the truck in Martell. Uvalles was booked into the Amador County Jail charged with auto theft, possession of stolen property, evading a peace officer, and being an unlicensed driver.  Uvalles’ bail has been set at $35,000.00.  Investigation into these crimes is open and on-going.