Eureka Man Arrested After Burgling Over $10,000 of Tribe Equipment
Aaron Waggoner booking photo
LOLETA — On January 30th just before 8 AM, County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at a business on the 1000 block of Wiyot Drive after a report of a burglary.
There they spoke with the reporting party, who said he’d found a Wiyot tribe-owned vehicle and over $10,000 worth of equipment and property had been stolen. It wasn’t long before police were able to identify 41-year-old Aaron Ray Waggoner as a suspect.
Witnesses soon reported seeing Waggoner speeding down Quinn Road towards Copenhagen. A pursuit began but was called off moments later due to Waggoner’s erratic driving and disregard for public safety.
Later on, another witness spotted Waggoner running through his property and gave chase. He saw Waggoner get into the stolen vehicle and then followed in his own, keeping police in the loop as he did so.
Deputies later spotted Waggoner near the Bear River Housing entrance and he fled on foot again. A foot chase began, even going across four lanes of freeway traffic. Waggoner was finally apprehended on the west side of the freeway and found to be in possession of the keys from the stolen vehicle, which was found nearby with the license plates still attached.
A search of Waggoner’s luggage also turned up additional stolen items connected to the burglary.
Aaron Waggoner was then formally arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property, evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for public safety, resisting arrest, vehicle theft, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, false registration with the intent to defraud, and two outstanding warrants.
His bail has been set at $100,000.
Based on the official Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release.
