Wild west county pursuit ends with suspect in almond tree

A man with multiple warrants, driving a stolen vehicle, eluded law enforcement for more than six hours Tuesday, losing pursuing deputies in orchards multiple times before he was found hiding in an almond tree.

The first pursuit was brief following an initial report of a theft in south Modesto at about 8 a.m., said Patterson Police Chief Jeff Dirkse. He said that pursuit was called off.

Two hours later an off-duty officer spotted the stolen Toyota Tundra at Jennings and Grayson roads.

On-duty Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department deputies began heading that direction but the Tundra went into an orchard and was temporarily lost, Dirkse said.

Not long after, they found it at a liquor store in Grayson and another pursuit ensued until it reached an elementary school in Westley, where the man drove across school grounds.

Dirkse said said no one was injured and the school had been placed on lockdown before the Tundra reached the campus.

The Tundra was spotted again at a crop duster air field near the school but it went into another orchard and again was lost.

A short time later, a farmer at Grayson and River roads called to report that the man in the Tundra stole tools from a barn on his property, Dirkse said.

Deputies found the vehicle again on River Road and pursued it to Hamilton Road, where it went into another orchard and backed into a wood pile.

At that point, Dirkse said, the suspect was surrounded so he drove straight toward them and rammed one of the deputy’s patrol cars to escape.

The deputy was not injured but the vehicle was badly damaged, Dirkse said.

Deputies followed the suspect as he drove down a canal bank and into an orchard where a perimeter was set up. But the suspect managed to get out of it at Grayson Road and headed west.

The final pursuit ended in an orchard off of Ustick Road near Service Road at about 12:30 p.m., where the driver and a female passenger got out and ran from the Tundra.

The passenger was quickly detained but deputies lost sight of the driver. Dirkse said another perimeter was established and deputies searched for two hours before a farmer found the driver hiding high in almond tree not far from the Tundra.

Thomas Bettencourt was arrested on suspicion of felony evading, vehicle theft and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. Dirkse said during the pursuit Bettencourt was consistently driving from 80 mph to 90 mph and at one point exceeded 100 mph.

He said Bettencourt also had three warrants including a no-bail warrant for violating the terms of his Post Release Community Supervision.

The passenger's name and charges were not available late Tuesday afternoon.

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 8:28 PM with the headline "Wild west county pursuit ends with suspect in almond tree."