A Susanville man who lead officers from California Highway Patrol and the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office on a high-speed chase faces charges of suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs, felony evading and resisting arrest.
According to a statement from the CHP, about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, June 3, a CHP officer patrolling westbound on Johnstonville Road observed a gray pickup traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle for speeding, but the vehicle failed to yield and traveled northbound on Highway 395 northbound at speeds greater than 80 miles-per-hour. A LCSO deputy joined in the pursuit.
The gray pickup pulled into the Leavitt Lake Subdivision, and the officer unsuccessfully attempted a PIT maneuver as the pickup slowed. The gray pickup continued to allegedly evade the officer until pulling up to a residence at Muskrat Drive. The driver, identified at Kenneth Finks, 52, initially actively resisted the officer’s effort to place him under arrest, but the officer and deputy were able to gain compliance and place him under arrest.
