In one of the busiest weeks of the year so far, Escalon Police were kept on a fast track, making a number of arrests in cases ranging from burglaries to hit and run accidents.
On Sunday, July 14, police made a traffic stop on a vehicle for a violation – having no front license plate – and discovered the 20-year-old driver was driving under the influence. The traffic stop was made about 12:45 a.m. in the area of First and McHenry. The man was cited for the DUI, processed at the local station and released to his parents.
An early Saturday morning case, July 13, saw officers make a stop on a subject riding a bicycle northbound on McHenry at 12:34 a.m., concerned due to the hour and with the bicyclist difficult to see in the area of McHenry and Catherine. After making contact with the man, police discovered Jason Norton, 38, of Stockton had a pair of warrants for his arrest out of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department. Each was for $75,000 and the warrants were for felony receiving/possession of stolen property. Norton was booked at San Joaquin County Jail on the warrants.
Friday morning, July 12, officers received a 9-1-1 call from the 1700 block of Baker just before 2 a.m., with a woman reporting that a person was attempting to break in to her residence. The subject did, in fact, get in through the back door of the home and the woman fled the scene, with officers responding and locating the man still in the area. Darin Castro, 21, of Tracy was subsequently arrested for felony burglary and public intoxication. He was booked at county jail. The woman was not injured.
Responding to a report of a hit and run, with a parked vehicle struck about 12:25 a.m. Thursday, July 11, the suspect vehicle fled the scene in the 900 block of Stanislaus and was found by officers in the area of Libby and Danielle, being driven without headlights. When officers pulled the vehicle over, they observed major damage to the car from striking the parked vehicle. A 21-year-old Escalon man was arrested and taken into custody, processed at the local station and released to a parent. He was charged with misdemeanor DUI and property damage hit and run.
Following another vehicle driving erratically early Thursday morning, this one about 1:35 a.m., officers followed the car eastbound on Highway 120 until it reached the 1400 block of California, where they conducted a traffic stop due to a variety of vehicle violations observed. The 44-year-old Modesto woman driving the car was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence and released to a relative after being processed at the police station.
Finally, a 47-year-old Escalon woman was arrested on Tuesday, July 9 about 8:35 p.m., when officers saw her walking in the 1600 block of Countrywood and knew she was wanted on a local warrant. The woman was cited on a $25,000 petty theft warrant out of Escalon, processed at the local station and released.
Police said the weekend festivities for Park Fete were relatively low key, with few problems reported, giving officers time to respond to the variety of other calls around the community. Extra officers were brought in for the city celebration, providing a constant presence for the downtown event.
