Convictions in Stanislaus County auto theft cases

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The Stanislaus County district attorney's office recently announced convictions in the following auto theft cases:

• A Modesto man who stopped a stolen car along Highway 99, then fled from California Highway Patrol officers who pulled over to offer assistance, was sentenced to four years in prison for auto theft and evading a peace officer.

According to prosecutors, officers first spotted Billy Jo Dwayne McCoy, 31, about 4 p.m. April 15 as he stood beside a 1988 white Toyota Camry that was parked along the roadway.

When the motorist spotted the officers, he jumped into the car and fled, weaving in and out of traffic until he abandoned the car near the Hatch Road offramp. The officers gave chase, matching the license plate to the report of a car stolen in Ceres two days earlier.

A backpack in the trunk of the car contained McCoy's identification card; officers arrested him at his home.

McCoy, who previously has been convicted of auto theft and possession of methamphetamine, pleaded no contest to the latest charges. A judge said he may serve his time at the California Rehabilitation Center, a prison for drug-addicted offenders.

• A Modesto man who was on probation for auto theft -- and caught behind the wheel of a stolen car in Ceres -- was sentenced to four years, eight months in prison.

According to prosecutors, police spotted Chanda Ngoun, 28, of Modesto about 2 a.m. on Aug. 28, near the corner of Sixth and Magnolia streets in Ceres, at the wheel of a stolen 1990 black Honda Accord that was traveling about 5 mph and had a burned-out rear license plate lamp.

When officers tried to pull over the driver, the car sped up and entered northbound Highway 99, reaching speeds of 90 mph before hitting a guardrail near the Hatch Road exit.

Ngoun was apprehended as he fled on foot. Nine months later, Ngoun pleaded no contest to attempted auto theft and evading a peace officer.