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Hector Pacheco, Jr. (Submitted Photo)

On Saturday, April 28, the Mono County Narcotics Task Force (MONET), along with the assistance of the Inyo County Narcotics Task Force (INET), Mono County Sheriff’s Department, Mammoth Lakes Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Inyo County Sheriff’s Department and the Bishop Police Department, concluded an investigation in Mammoth Lakes regarding the transportation and sales of methamphetamine.

MONET agents arranged to purchase methamphetamine from Hector Pacheco, Jr., age 34, of Ontario, Calif. Pacheco met with the undercover agents and completed the transaction sale. As the transaction was completed, an arrest team attempted to take him into custody. Pacheco got into his vehicle and rapidly accelerated away nearly striking a member of the arrest team. As Pacheco fled the scene, he struck a Mono County Sheriff’s patrol unit that was attempting to stop him. He fled at a high rate of speed down Old Mammoth Road failing to stop at two controlled intersections.

Pacheco continued to flee outside of the Town of Mammoth Lakes traveling southbound onto Hwy 203 and then onto U.S. 395 at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Law enforcement officers pursued him from Mammoth Lakes to just outside of Bishop. His vehicle was stopped by law enforcement officers using the PIT maneuver (a pursuit tactic used to force a fleeing vehicle to stop). Pacheco was arrested without further incident and transported to the Mono County Jail in Bridgeport. As a result of the arrest, MONET agents seized a ½ pound of methamphetamine. Pacheco is currently in custody at the Mono County Jail facing charges of felony evading, assault with a deadly weapon, and transportation and sales of narcotics. -Press Release

Carla Denver

A high speed chase through the streets of Bridgeport lasted just over one hour and only came to an end when Mono County Deputies blew out the driver’s tire, shattered her window and tazered her in order to gain control of the situation.

On Aug. 7 at 12:50 a.m., Carla Denver, 23, of Bridgeport, Calif. was seen by deputies driving at a high rate of speed on Stock Drive in Bridgeport. When she failed to yield to the deputies the pursuit began. It wound around mostly on U.S. 395 and Hwy. 182, but found its way to the streets of Bridgeport on several occasions, according to a Mono County Sheriff’s Department press release.

Several times during the chase, Denver swerved her car at oncoming traffic, forcing them off the road. The pursuit reached speeds of 90 mile per hour several times and because of public safety concerns, was discontinued on several occasions.

Knowing that Denver was between U.S. 395 and Hwy 108 during one of the dicontinued periods, two deputies parked their vehicles at this junction. Wihtin a short timeframe Denver made a U-turn and drove to the area where the deputies were parked. She proceeded to drive her car at the deputies and the vehicles, which were parked off the highway. Denver hit one of the patrol vehicles, then backed up and tried to run the deputies over before taking off again in the southbound direction toward Bridgeport.

CHP Officers, who were assisting in the pursuit deployed a spike strip that blew out one of Denver’s tires and performed a PIT manuever, forcing her, after driving on the rim for a short distance, to come to a stop. Denver, however locked herself in the vehicle and refused to exit. At this point a deputy shattered Denver’s window. She continued to be uncooperative and deputies used a TAZER in order to be able to take her into custody.

She was transported to Mono County Jail where she is currently in custody awaiting charges for attempted murder of a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon, failure to yield to a police officer with a disregard for safety, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

One deputy sustained minor lacerations to his fingers during the pursuit termination, but no other injuries were reported by the motoring public which was affected by this incident. -LAK/MCSD