Two locals accused of stealing Engine #111 Saturday from an active fire in Rio Linda and leading authorities on a chase through Butte County appeared in court for arraignment on Wednesday.
Candice Lee Scollard, 35, and David Carcalete, 26, appeared before Judge Jesus Rodriguez on charges of stealing an emergency vehicle, recklessly evading law enforcement and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $67,000 for Scollard and $68,000 for Carcalete, and scheduled another appearance for Thursday.
A public defender was assigned for Scollard. Carcalete has chosen to represent himself. Judge Rodriguez will rule on that issue Thursday morning.
The fire engine was stolen while firefighters were working an active 12-acre grass fire just off the bike trail near Hayer Speedway this past Saturday.
According to the Chico Enterprise-Record, A firefighter’s cellphone had been left in the engine and law enforcement was able to track its GPS location using the phone.
A Sacramento County Sheriff helicopter spotted the engine in a residential area in Rio Linda. A CHP cruiser followed and attempted to pull the engine over, but a chase developed, heading north on Highway 65 and 70 through Sacramento, Placer, Yuba and Butte counties.
Spike strips were deployed five times. The last one, in the Marysville area, caused the right front tire to fail. Suspects continued driving the fire engine on the rim until they lost too much traction heading into the Feather River Canyon area. The engine lost momentum as Highway 70 started to climb near Yankee Hill, where they pulled over into a ditch.
The driver, Carcalete, attempted to run but was captured quickly.
(The suspects names have been corrected in this story.)
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