Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20 - Bill Lavallie=20

State and regional law enforcement were = in=20 pursuit of a suspected car thief Saturday outside of Plymouth, = where the=20 suspect fled after an encounter with an Amador sheriff's = deputy.

Photo by: Bill Lavallie

Investigators examined the truck stolen = Saturday=20 out of Placerville.

Photo by: Bill Lavallie

A white pickup truck carrying five = skiers lost=20 control on a patch of black ice on Highway 88 near Dew Drop Road = Saturday=20 afternoon, resulting in plenty of spilled ski equipment, but no = serious=20 injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Photo by: Bill = Lavallie
A=20 chance encounter between an Amador County sheriff's deputy and a = suspected car=20 thief resulted in an all-out manhunt Saturday afternoon, with units from = three=20 law enforcement agencies fanning down the highways as a star-clad = helicopter=20 searched overhead.

The incident was sparked when the deputy, who = was=20 patrolling Shenandoah Valley outside of Plymouth, caught sight of a = white pickup=20 truck parked in a remote area off of Bell Road. As soon as the deputy = stepped=20 out of his patrol unit and began to approach, the truck's door flew = open. In a=20 blink, the male driver had bolted down a rough trail that cut through = the weeds=20 and grease brush, leaving the high-centered pickup on a dirt barrier as = he=20 vanished into the steep, wooded hillside.

Officers from Amador = and El=20 Dorado county sheriff's departments were soon in pursuit of the suspect, = along=20 with units from the California Highway Patrol. Despite an extensive = search and=20 air support from a CHP helicopter, the suspect was not found. It was = determined=20 that the pickup truck had recently been stolen from the Placerville area = that=20 morning. Evidence was taken from the vehicle and a further investigation = is=20 continuing.

That same afternoon, a pickup truck driving through = the=20 mountains on Highway 88 with five skiers on board hit a treacherous = patch of=20 black ice.

The truck was on the hill at Dew Drop Road when it = lost=20 control, charging into a snowy embankment before it flipped over on its = side and=20 scattered ski and snowboarding equipment across the road. There were no = serious=20 injuries in the crash.

Saturday's upcountry crash capped a week = of major=20 accidents.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, Karen Knight was = traveling=20 eastbound on Mountain Ranch Road in her 1996 Dodge pickup truck when she = had her=20 own frightening encounter with black ice.

According to the CHP, = this=20 byway has been "extremely icy" due to cold storms. As Knight came around = a turn,=20 her vehicle broke traction and began to slide. The Dodge flew off the = south=20 embankment of the road, striking a large rock protruding from the creek = below.=20 Knight suffered lacerations to her lower right leg. Her truck sustained=20 significant damage.

With two hours to go before midnight, = 28-year-old=20 Danielle Fazendin of Pioneer was driving eastbound on Highway 88 near = Cedar Mill=20 when her 2001 Dodge began to drift onto the gravel shoulder. = Over-correcting,=20 Fazendin and her 28-year-old male passenger began spinning out of = control. Their=20 vehicle barreled over an embankment and rolled over.

The = passenger was=20 not wearing a seat belt and received major injuries. Fazendin was = treated for=20 minor injuries and then arrested on suspicion of driving under the=20 influence.

Scott Thomas = Anderson