Prelim for CHP assault scheduled
The Corning man charged with assaulting a highway patrol officer in Orland after a high-speed chase through Glenn County pleaded not guilty in Superior Court on Friday.
Jeffery Dale Newton, 30, entered his plea to a felony charge of resisting police and misdemeanor charges of assaulting a peace officer and recklessly driving and fleeing from police, according to court records.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Dec. 2 in Glenn County Superior Court in Orland, a court spokeswoman confirmed.
The California Highway Patrol said Newton was the driver involved in a high-speed chase Nov. 5 that ended when he reportedly crashed his vehicle and was Tazed twice by authorities will resisting arrest.
CHP Officer Jesse Rawlins fractured a finger as Newton reportedly continued to struggle with officers on the ground, CHP spokesman Joe Stokes said.
The chase began around 2 p.m. Nov. 5 when a Glenn County sheriff's deputy made a routine traffic stop on a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix at Old Highway 99W, north of County Road 48, just north of Willows, the CHP said.
An unnamed 17-year-old female driver had an outstanding warrant from Tehama County and was about to be arrested, but Newton reportedly sped off north on Old Highway 99W before officers could cuff the teenager, the CHP said.
The chase continued through the town of Artois and into Orland reaching speeds of more than 100 mph, officers said.
CHP officers were prepared to ram into the car as it approached the intersection of Highway 32 and Eighth Street in Orland, but Newton reportedly swerved toward the officer at the last minute causing the crash, the CHP reported.
The impact caused Newton's vehicle to spin off the road and into a wooden utility pole. The teenage girl and another man, Casey Matthew Kuykendall, 25, of Corning, remained inside the vehicle and were arrested without further incident. Newton, however, fled the wrecked car on foot and was chased down and Tazed by both the CHP and Orland police, the CHP said.
Newton complained of shoulder pain and was taken to Glenn Medical Center in Willows, where he was treated and released after X-rays came back negative, the CHP said.
Kuykendall was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession and is back in Superior Court on Dec. 15 for arraignment. No updates were available for the unnamed 17-year-old female.
Newton remains in custody at the Glenn County Jail in lieu of $53,000 bail, a jail spokesman confirmed.
Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.
