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Cops Log Busy Week
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New Year's Eve passed relatively uneventfully in Escalon, but local police were busy with a number of cases and arrests in the week between Christmas and the start of the New Year, as well as a couple of notable calls already in 2011.

Police arrested a 22-year-old Manteca man on suspicion of driving under the influence following a stop in the 1400 block of California on Monday morning. Authorities received a call of the man driving a white Chevy SUV and almost striking another vehicle, and hitting a gas pump. The man then got out of the vehicle and was seen staggering around, prompting the call to police. He was arrested, processed at the police station, cited and released. The incident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 3.

On New Year's Day, Jan. 1, police responded to a reported disturbance in the 1500 block of Main about 4:45 p.m.

Upon arrival, police learned the incident was a domestic dispute and both parties were arrested. The woman, identified as Lisa Chapman, 32, of Escalon was booked at San Joaquin County Jail on two warrants. Police said she had a $15,500 felony warrant out of Ceres for burglary and petty theft with a prior, and a $10,000 warrant out of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department for possession of a concealed weapon. The man, a 55-year-old from Ceres, had left the scene but was apprehended later and arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery on a co-habitant for striking the woman during the dispute. He was also booked at county jail.

A Wednesday afternoon accident, Dec. 29, left a local man with head injuries when the ATV he was riding flipped over on him. Police received a report of the man lying face down in the roadway and, upon arrival, learned the ATV he had been driving in the area lifted up off its front wheels and went out of control, rolling over on the 25-year-old. He was not wearing a helmet, police said, and was taken to Memorial Hospital suffering from head trauma. The crash occurred shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the 2200 block of Edmart.

Also, employees at the local Ace Hardware on McHenry Avenue detained a pair of suspects inside the store, attempting to get away with a number of items on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Police said the pair had been in the store a week earlier and had successfully stolen some items but this time they were stopped before leaving the premises.

Police arrested Mark Thompson, 37, of Modesto and Margaret Farmer, 50, of Modesto on suspicion of two counts each of burglary, petty theft with a prior and conspiracy. They were booked at county jail following the incident, which occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

There were just a handful of calls regarding loud parties and bottle rockets being set off for the holiday weekend, with police reporting no major problems.

Local firefighters also had a quiet holiday weekend with no accidents reported either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, but crews did respond to a vehicle reported partially submerged in the canal at River and Sutliff on Monday morning, Jan. 3, a little before noon. The mini van was towed out of the canal. No one was in the vehicle, but the drivers side window was rolled down, according to fire officials.