Troopers arrest man after spotting him in stolen vehicle
GOODING COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho State Police has arrested a man on multiple charges after a trooper spotted him at a rest stop in a stolen vehicle.
ISP received word early Tuesday morning to watch for a white Ford pickup pulling a trailer with a Bobcat skid-steer loader recently reported stolen out of Twin Falls.
At approximately 8:15 a.m., a trooper on patrol located a vehicle matching the description at a rest stop on westbound Interstate 84 west of Bliss. As the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver rammed the patrol car, drove through a fence and into the desert near Power Plant Road.
The pickup soon became disabled and the suspect ran on foot, circled back and drove off in the skid-steer.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Lonnie S. Schaefer of Sacramento, Cali., rammed a Gooding County patrol vehicle before the skid-steer also became disabled in a ditch, and police say Schaefer remained non-compliant. Gooding County Sheriff's deputies deployed bean bag rounds, and troopers deployed a Taser before finally taking Schaefer into custody.
During the incident, there was evidence Schaefer may have ingested a controlled substance. He was transported by ground ambulance to a medical center in Gooding where he was treated and released.
Upon release this afternoon, troopers booked Schaefer into the Gooding County Jail on possession of stolen property (F), aggravated battery (F), driving without privileges (m), possession of drug paraphernalia (m), eluding officers (m) and resisting and obstructing officers (m).
