“Get your motor runnin’, head out on the Highway. Lookin’ for adventure, in whatever comes our way” So sings John Kay in Steppenwolf’s iconic song “Born To Be Wild” from 1968. Perhaps that was what Theodore Anthony Jones had in mind as he loaded up his motorcycle and hit the road.
Jones pulled out of the road on the right onto the highway without stopping.
According to Lieutenant Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s office, the 46-year-old Jones was traveling on his bike up Stokes Road in Nice, the small town at the northernmost shore of Clear Lake. As Jones hit Highway 20 off of Stokes, he ignored the stop sign and jetted into the eastbound highway. A man driving through had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting Jones on his motorcycle. Unfortunately for Jones, the car right behind that one was a sheriff’s patrol deputy.
The deputy reported that up until then, traffic was traveling along the highway quite normally, with everyone obeying the speed limit. He then saw Jones on his bike zoom out from behind the Quality Sheet Metal building on the right side of the road, cutting off the driver just ahead of him. The deputy then observed Jones drive into the center turn lane, passing four other vehicles who were also in the lane, perhaps waiting to turn into the Hillside Storage and Car Wash.
The deputy activated his emergency lights and followed Jones, catching up with him a short distance down the road, at the Collier intersection. After Jones pulled over, the deputy conducted the enforcement stop, asking why he had been driving so recklessly. Jones explained that he “had a lot on his mind”. The deputy proceeded to arrest Jones, since his violation appeared to show he had no regard for his own safety or that of other drivers. He contacted dispatch to get a tow truck to impound the motorcycle, and asked Jones to unlock the saddlebags to conduct an impound inventory. Jones would not unlock them himself, but turned over the keys onto the seat of the bike.
Evidence collected from Jones’ motorcycle included marijuana, meth, and metal knuckles. The meth is weighed in at right.
The deputy proceeded with the search, and in the left side saddlebag found a purple Crown Royal bag, which had inside a bit of marijuana and a bit of crystal methamphetamine. He also had a set of metal knuckles, an illegal weapon to possess in California. The meth was later weighed and measured 8.76 grams.
Jones, of Lakeport, was arrested for reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of metal knuckles. He was booked at the Hill Road Correctional Facility in Lake County. A records search found at least two prior arrests – one in 2006 for marijuana cultivation and possession for sale, and another in 2009 for threats of violence.
