By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
Did you remember to set your clocks back an hour?
At about 5:20 a.m. – that would be Pacific Standard Time, not Daylight Savings time – Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies were engaged in a high-speed chase on Highway 99.
Your favorite (and only) reporter from The Glenn County Observer was awakened from his extra hour of sleep by the chatter of sheriff’s personnel on the police scanner.
Well, not really, since your favorite reporter is actually retired and can for all intents and purposes have an extra hour of sleep pretty much every day of the year if he so desires, but you get the idea.
When your favorite reporter woke up, the pursuit was on Highway 99 at County Road 31, heading south.
Less than a minute later, they passed Road 33 at about 83 miles per hour.
At roughly 5:22 a.m., a deputy called in the license plate on the vehicle being chased: 7Z25766.
The dispatcher replied that the plate came back as belonging to a 2006 Chevy owned by Victor Cardenas of Orland.
A deputy reported they were approaching the Blue Gum Motel at about 70 miles per hour.
Another deputy stated he was at Highway 99 and County Road 42.
The previous deputy said they passed the Blue Gum at about 73 miles per hour.
At roughly 5:23 a.m., a deputy reported they were approaching County Road 39 at speeds of about 93 miles per hour.
About a half-minute later, another deputy took over the radio and said they were continuing southbound on Highway 99, approaching County Road 45 with no traffic.
A minute or so later, a deputy noted that smoke was coming from the vehicle being pursued.
Seconds after this, another deputy said that the CHP was behind him, and they were approaching County Road 48 at about 85 miles per hour.
Speeds then slowed down to about 30 miles per hour, and the driver of the Chevy “bailed” from the vehicle and began running east.
The driver crossed the railroad tracks on the east side of Highway 99 and continued eastbound, across from the U-Haul rental place.
Law enforcement officers (GCSO, CHP, and at least one Orland police sergeant) began setting up a perimeter.
A deputy was directed to County Roads 48 and KK.
A deputy reported, “He’s running through the orchards, eastbound from 99, near the storage units.”
The suspect was described as an “HMA [Hispanic male adult], black hair with a pony tail, grey pants, grey hoody, sweatshirt.”
At roughly 5:30 a.m., a deputy says, “We lost visual” of the suspect.
A deputy reported he was in the orchard between KK and Highway 99, then, two minutes later, said he was returning to his patrol unit.
At about 5:34 a.m., Sgt. Johnson of the Orland Police Department asked, “Where would you like me?”
A deputy responded, “Come down to 48, go east up to KK, go down to 49 1/2, then take a left and make sure there’s nobody that comes southbound through the wheat fields behind the houses there.”
A little later, a deputy asked, “Did someone take the keys out of the truck in case the suspect doubles back and takes off?”
A deputy answered, “The truck is inoperable.”
Law enforcement officers spent the next several minutes searching the area.
One deputy asked, “Where do you want me?”
A deputy answered, “If you want to head over to 48, just east of Burnham’s [Veterinary Clinic], there’s an orchard access road. If you want to take that back, I’m back here. It’s right behind the residences on KK.”
At about 5:47 a.m., the Glenn County Sheriff’s dispatcher reported, “Victor Cardenas is on probation with us for [battery]. He has an address of 159 Elm Street.”
According to Orland police logs, at about 10:46 p.m. on June 10, 2021, Orland police officers responded to 112 East Tehama Street, Orland, for a reported domestic violence disturbance.
Officers contacted Crystal Aguilar, 24, and her husband, Victor Cardenas, 30, both of Orland.
After an on-scene investigation, Cardenas was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence and public intoxication. He was transported to the Glenn County Jail.
On the same date, at 11:06 p.m., the jail reported that Victor Hugo Martinez, 30, a service technician who lives in Orland, was booked into the Glenn County Jail on charges alleging battery on a non-cohabitating former spouse, and public intoxication (both misdemeanors).
His bail was set at $5,000.
At roughly 5:50 a.m., Sgt. Johnson asked, “Has anyone checked the county yard?”
A deputy replied, “Negative.”
A deputy responded to the area of Elm and South Tehama Streets.
At about 5:57 a.m., a deputy asked, “You want to see if someone wants to drive the levee? The levee would take him straight to his residence.”
A deputy answered, “I’m over by Wood and First. I’ll just take the levee over.”
At about 6:04 a.m., Sgt. Johnson headed back to Orland.
At 6:05 a.m., the code-33, which restricts all non-essential broadcasts on the police radio, was canceled.
Minutes later, a deputy reported that a woman was leaving 159 Elm Street in a sedan.
Another deputy commented, “She’s possibly going to pick him [the suspect] up.”
A deputy responded, “Affirmative, turning north onto Tehama.”
A deputy said he would stay by the house in case he, the suspect, comes back.”
The sedan pulled over at the storage units on Tehama, south of the tracks.”
Deputies continued to search the general area where the perimeter had been set up.
A deputy reported that the sedan was now continuing north on 99.
A minute or two later, the deputy said the vehicle was continuing to drive north from County Road 48 “at a very low speed.”
The deputy later said, “I believe this is going to be our vehicle. It’s going back and forth, up and down 99. It keeps turning around, going north and south.”
At about 6:33 a.m., a deputy reported, “[The driver of the sedan was told] that the person they are looking for had committed a crime and she needs to return home.”
The suspect was not immediately caught. Watch The Observer for updates.
The Glenn County Observer 