VISALIA, CA – Police in Visalia chased a 16-year-old driver across the county Saturday night. According to police, at 6:37 p.m. the Visalia Police Department conducted an enforcement detail on South Mooney Blvd in response to an ongoing issue with reckless drivers and illegal speed contests. At approximately 6:37 p.m. an officer attempted to stop a reckless driver in the area of Mooney Blvd and Visalia Parkway. The driver failed to yield and a vehicle pursuit was initiated south of the City of Visalia.
The pursuit continued on surface streets and thru numerous orchards. The pursuit was discontinued by ground units in the area of Road 156 and Ave 256. The vehicle was subsequently tracked by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Air Unit to an orchard east of the City of Farmersville.
Officers ultimately responded to that area and located the suspect as he was being picked up after abandoning his vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was identified as a 16 year old male Juvenile from Visalia. It was subsequently discovered that the same driver was also wanted by the Farmersville Police Department for a vehicle pursuit that occurred the day prior.
During the course of the investigation Kimberly Makert (42) of Visalia was taken into custody for being an accessory to a felony after the fact, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and committing a felony while out on bail. The male driver was booked for charges related to the vehicle pursuit, possession of burglary tools, narcotics related charges, and charges related to the prior incident in Farmersville.
The Visalia Police Department was assisted in this investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Farmersville Police Department, and the Exeter Police Department.