Man on 4-wheeler flees from police
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RONAN — A 4-wheeler thief led law enforcement on a high-speed chase between 2 and 3 a.m. Friday along back roads outside of Ronan, eventually crashing the stolen vehicle in a field. Leroy Black III, a 21-year-old Ronan resident, faces three felony charges among others stemming from the incident, Lake County Undersheriff Dan Yonkin said.
A Carbine Road resident called 911 around 2:16 a.m. May 4 to report that someone had just stolen a 4-wheeler from his property. It didn’t take long for law enforcement to spot Black driving the ATV not far from the owner’s home, but it wasn’t as easy to get the thief to stop. Three Lake County Sheriff’s deputies and a Tribal Police officer pursued Black for 15 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour — a feat not uncommon for some high-end or racing model 4-wheelers, Yonkin noted, although he wasn’t sure of the vehicle’s exact make. The chase ended when Black crashed in a field off Moeise Valley Road near Round Butte Road, about 7 miles west of Ronan, but Black wasn’t ready to give up yet.
“He still had a lot of fight left in him,” Yonkin said.
In the struggle, Black kicked an officer before a Taser was used to subdue him. He was then taken by ambulance to St. Luke Community Hospital for treatment of some minor lacerations.
Black remains in custody without bond at the Lake County Jail until he is arraigned on felony charges of motor vehicle theft, criminal endangerment and assault on a peace officer. Black is also charged with eluding police and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, both misdemeanor charges he’ll face in Tribal Court. The DUI charge is drug-related, but details aren’t known pending results of a blood test, Yonkin added.
