Sonora Man Arrested Following Chase From Copperopolis To Jamestown
Tuolumne County, CA — A 20-year-old man was arrested following a two-county high-speed chase.
A deputy recently tried to pull over 20-year-old Joseph James Koval on O’Byrnes Ferry Road, south of Lake Tulloch shores, for driving at an unsafe speed and having a non-functioning license plate lamp.
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office reports he took off in his GMC pickup truck, over the O’Byrnes Ferry Bridge, and repeatedly crossed over double yellow lines and into the oncoming traffic lane. In an attempt to avoid the deputy, he turned off his vehicle lights. Later, he drove through a red signal light at the Highway 108 intersection and continued toward Jamestown. He then pulled over near the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort and was taken into custody with help from the CHP and Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. Two other people inside the vehicle were also detained.
Koval was charged and booked into Calaveras Jail on charges of Evading a Peace Officer with Disregard for Safety (Felony), Evading a Peace Officer: Wrong Way Driver (Felony), Driving without a Driver’s License (Misdemeanor), Excessive Speed (Infraction), Failure to Stop at Red Light (Infraction), Non-functioning lighting equipment (Infraction), and Driving without insurance or registration. The chase happened at 2:30 am on August 7.
