A Turlock man is wanted for felony vandalism and theft at a Colfax car wash that occurred at 4 a.m. Monday. His female accomplice was apprehended following a vehicle pursuit on Interstate 80 a short time later.
As a deputy was responding to a burglary alarm at the car wash, the business owner told the Placer County Sheriff’s Office that he was watching a remote surveillance feed of a man drilling the coin boxes. When the deputy arrived, the suspect had left. A few minutes later, the deputy spotted the suspect and a female accomplice at a nearby gas station in Colfax. The man led the deputy on a foot pursuit and got away. The female ran to their vehicle and left the area.
Another deputy saw the vehicle driving on westbound I-80 in Auburn and attempted to pull the car over. The driver, later identified as Sandra Byrd, 35, also of Turlock, refused to stop. She drove at high speeds until a Roseville police officer was able to deploy a spike strip near Douglas Blvd. She finally stopped on the interstate between Riverside and Antelope roads and was arrested on charges of evading arrest, driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest. She was booked at the Placer County Jail.
Detectives are actively looking for the male suspect, Shane Schmidt, 39, who is on probation out of Turlock. He is on post-release community supervision. He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt with a white emblem, pants of an unknown color and black and white tennis shoes. He is described as 6-feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.
Anyone who sees Schmidt is urged to call the Placer County Sheriff’s Office at 530-889-7800.