The following is a press release issued by the Ukiah Police Department. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
On 11/16/2022, Ukiah PD recovered another stolen vehicle with the assistance of the new Flock license plate reader (LPR) camera system. At about 1540 hours, Flock alerted UPD officers, informing them of a stolen 2007 Honda Civic in the city limits. The Honda was reported stolen by San Jose PD on the same day it was located in the City of Ukiah. The owner reportedly parked and secured his vehicle on 11/15/2022 and the vehicle was taken without permission.
An officer located the vehicle as it was traveling eastbound on E. Gobbi St and provided updates to other officers as he followed it to S. Orchard Ave. The driver of the stolen vehicle entered the DMV parking lot where marked patrol cars and other UPD staff conducted a high-risk / felony stop on the vehicle. The driver and passenger were compliant with officers’ commands and were taken into custody without resistance.
The driver was a 22-year-old female from Ukiah who was under the impression that she was driving the passenger’s vehicle. The passenger was Ronnie Paschal, a 41-year-old Willits resident, who had three felony warrants from out of county agencies and claimed the vehicle was his. The female was released and Paschal was booked at Mendocino County Jail for the violations with a bail of $115,000. The Honda was towed and stored until the owner could arrange to retrieve it.
The Flock LPR system is a great aid for law enforcement investigations. This is just one example of how this technological improvement aids officers in the service of the community.
As always, UPD’s mission is to make Ukiah as safe a place as possible. If you would like to know more about crime in your neighborhood, you can sign up for telephone, cellphone, and email notifications by clicking the Nixle button on our website; www.ukiahpolice.com.
