Santa Barbara County – Jason Andrew Crisp, 29, and his wide-eyed girlfriend Ricki Lee Warren, 20, may be too young to have been fans of film director Ron Howard’s first behind-the-camera effort “Grand Theft Auto”, but they have apparently bought into the adventurous and chaotic lifestyle portrayed in the movie classic that portrayed vehicular mayhem as mere product of youthful exuberance.
According to California Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Don Clotworthy, it was just after dawn on November 11th when a Santa Maria Police Department patrol unit observed “a blue 2007 Dodge Ram pickup truck southbound on U.S. 101” that had previously been reported stolen from a used car lot in Salinas. Clotworthy indicated that during the vehicle theft, “the thieves smashed a lock box, took the keys, and fled in the pickup, crashing through a gate”.
Were the pair emulating the movie Grand Theft Auto?
Shortly after their pursuit of the pickup truck began and the SMPD unit lost sight of it on the freeway, CHP deputies out of the Buellton division picked up the chase with speeds exceeding the legal limit by more than 35mph. “The pickup was using all lanes of traffic,” Clotworthy reported, and racing southbound it “crossed over into northbound lanes” at which point the pursuing CHP unit terminated their pursuit.
Minutes later—just past the treacherous Gaviota Tunnel where any wrong-way vehicle would surely have created a lethal situation—the CHP deputies spotted the pickup truck abandoned in southbound lanes. With their suspects apparently now on foot, units from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene and established a perimeter. With the arrival of “Aco”, SBSD’s 95-lb K-9, it was only a matter of time before Crisp and Warren were found hiding among rocks on the Gaviota beach. Declining the opportunity to reveal himself voluntarily, Crisp was dragged out onto the beach by the dog, suffering “very minor injuries”. Ouch.
Both suspects were summarily taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail. While Warren was apparently working on her pose for headshots should she be cast in the next “Grand Theft” movie (or maybe she’s just afraid of dogs), both she and Crisp were booked on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property, and felony evading arrest.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
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