Man free on bail allegedly leads police on pursuit in stolen vehicle
A man who was free on bail was recently arrested again after a vehicle pursuit in Mendocino County.
On the night of October 11, Round Valley Tribal Police contacted the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office to alert them to the presence of a man wanted on a felony warrant in the Covelo area.
The individual, identified as 38-year-old Curtis Bettega, had reportedly fled from an attempted traffic stop and led Tribal officers on a pursuit, eventually losing them in the area of Mina Road. Tribal officers shortly thereafter found the vehicle abandoned in a ditch with the engine still running, but spotted and detained Bettega nearby.
Deputies responded to the scene and discovered that the car Bettega had been driving, a silver Dodge sedan, had been stolen out of Ukiah and affixed with plates that belonged to a Chevrolet Camaro.
Sitting in the backseat in plain view, deputies also discovered, was a loaded rifle with a detachable 40-round magazine. A total of 24.9 grams of methamphetamine were also reportedly found during a search of Bettega and the vehicle.
Bettega was ultimately arrested on the felony warrant, as well as charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person, committing a crime while on bail, and other charges.
