High-speed pursuit ends in two arrests

A Stockton man led Calaveras County Sheriff’s deputies Saturday night on a high-speed chase through San Andreas and Valley Springs before ending with an arrest on Highway 88 in Stockton.

Jeremy Jones, 39, was stopped about 11 p.m. on Gold Strike Road in San Andreas by deputies with the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team. Jones and his passenger, Jodie Reynolds, 33, of Livermore, both had felony arrest warrants.

Jones fled in his vehicle after becoming uncooperative with deputies during the stop, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department.   

Deputies pursued the vehicle for about 30 miles through San Andreas and Valley Springs at speeds of up to 80 mph.    

CHP deployed a spike strip in Valley Springs, which caused the vehicle’s tires to deflate but didn’t end the chase.    

Deputies and CHP units continued chasing the vehicle until they reached Clements, where CHP took over.   

CHP was able to stop the vehicle and apprehend the suspects on Highway 88 near Highway 99 in Stockton.    

Jones was arrested and booked into San Joaquin County Jail on suspicion of evading police, resisting arrest and on the warrant related to an alleged parole violation.    

Jones’ passenger, Reynolds, was arrested on felony warrants alleging narcotics and traffic violations.    

Neither Jones nor Reynolds are eligible for bail.    

Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Hewitt said high-speed chases such as Saturday’s are “a real balancing act.”    

“The utmost importance is public safety and we don’t want anyone to get hurt during the pursuit,” Hewitt said. “You’ve got to weigh the potential risks versus catching the suspect.”  

The mild weather and lack of traffic allowed the pursuit to continue for 30 miles in this case, said Hewitt.   

“The supervisor on duty that night was very cautious and if he felt there were any dangers to the officers or the public then he would have called it off, but of course the conditions were right for us to continue and help get the suspect into custody,” he said.