Cops, police dog capture reckless car thief

A car thief was subdued by officers and the Sonoma police dog Friday night after abandoning a high-speed chase and hiding in a retail courtyard on Broadway.

David Allen Logue, Jr., 31, from Petaluma was arrested a brief tussle. He was on probation, had a warrant and was out on bail for other charges, and was holding meth and a pipe.

The incident began at about 10:30 p.m. when deputies were notified that a stolen Chevy pickup, boosted in Rohnert Park, hadbeen tracked to the Sonoma Valley via the vehicle’s OnStar ststem..

The truck was spotted at the intersection of Fetters Ave and Sunset Way. The suspect accelerated directly toward the patrol car, then made an abrupt turn on to an adjoining street, swinging wide into a yard and knocking down sections of fence.

A chase ensued, with Logue driving on Highway 12 at speeds exceeding 75 mph, crossing to the left side of the roadway over double yellow lines and driving against oncoming traffic, according to the report. The pursuit became so dangerous that the Sergeant monitoring the chase ordered the deputies to back off.

The OnStar representative then said the car was tracked to a shopping center on Broadway in Sonoma. Deputies went to the area and found the stolen car abandoned behind a business. Knowing that the man couldn’t have gone far on foot, they set up a perimeter. Soon a Deputy spotted the man running through an interior courtyard toward a building.

The Sonoma Police Department’s K9, Dickie, was summoned to search the building. The Deputy K9 Handler made a loud announcement and the team went in to search. They found the man hiding ordered him to surrender. Instead the man fought with the Deputies and the dog. Eventually the man gave up and was arrested. He was barely injured in the melee. The Deputies sustained only minor injuries and our dog was fine.

The man was identified as David Allen Logue, Jr., a 31 year old from Petaluma. When the Deputies searched him they discovered a pipe and methamphetamine. He was on probation, had a warrant and was out on bail for other charges. Logue was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, receiving stolen property, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, evading arrest by driving the wrong way on the road, hit and run, recklessly evading arrest in a vehicle, resisting arrest, burglary, committing a felony while out on bail, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license.

His bail was set at $70,000 and he is scheduled to appear before a judge on June 30 at 1:30.

The rightful owner of the truck came out to Sonoma and retrieved his vehicle and personal property therein.