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Crime & Safety

Parolee Arrested on Hwy. 12 for Allegedly Stealing PG&E Vehicle

Sonoma Deputy Sheriff spots Paul Ahrens, 34, who runs into creek bed when stopped; K9 tracks him down

On April 2, 2013 at approximately 9:40 p.m., a Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy was in a marked patrol vehicle at the intersection of Farmers Lane and Highway 12. Deputy Fred Schmidt saw a subject in a vehicle and identified him as Paul Ahrens, 34 years old, who is on active CDC Parole.

Deputy Schmidt conducted a records check on the license plate of the vehicle, and found that it was reported stolen earlier in the evening from PG&E operational offices on Occidental Rd. in Santa Rosa.

Deputies followed the vehicle for a short distance and then initiated a traffic stop in the Walgreens parking lot at Summerfield Rd and Mission Ave. The suspect stopped the car in the parking lot, immediately exited the vehicle and ran into the nearby creek area.

A quick perimeter was set up and a search of the area was conducted.  A K-9 from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office was deployed and located Ahrens in the creek. He was subsequently taken into custody without incident.

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Ahrens was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for a Violation of Parole, Possession of stolen property, Resisting arrest, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Possession of burglary tools. Ahrens has a no bail hold due to the parole violation.

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