Lakeport Police

LAKEPORT POLICE REPORT INTOXICATED DRIVING ARREST; THANKING CITIZENS FOR ASSISTANCE

From Lakeport Police: This morning, June 17, 2018, at approximately 2 AM, two Lakeport Police Officers encountered a silver Mitsubishi Lancer in the downtown area. At this time no traffic stop had been initiated but the vehicle abruptly turned and rapidly accelerated

Lakeport Police DUI driver 1080 Travis Criss June 16, 2018

causing the officers to lose sight of it. A short time later an officer again spotted the vehicle at which time it again accelerated rapidly to a high rate of speed into the residential neighborhoods west of downtown. The officer initiated a traffic stop and a vehicle pursuit began with the vehicle continuing to travel at a high rate of speed and making abrupt turns. The officer lost sight of the vehicle at which time the pursuit was terminated for public safety.

Officers remained in the area looking for the vehicle and at approximately 2:20 AM began receiving 911 calls reporting a subject we were looking for in residential backyards in the area of Second and Crawford Streets. The officers then located the suspect vehicle abandoned with the motor and tires still warm. While continuing to check the area, officers located a male subject walking down the street. The male had stickers from weeds attached to his pants that matched stickers one of them got on their pants from a field they checked near the suspect vehicle.

The suspect was detained and identified as Travis Lorin Criss, 44, of Lakeport, CA. Criss was found to be wanted on a warrant out of Ukiah. Criss was stumbling and emitting a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. Criss was arrested and during a search incident to arrest, the keys to the Mitsubishi Lancer were located on his person.

Criss was arrested for the warrant, misdemeanor intoxicated driving and for the felony charge of fleeing from law enforcement with disregard for public safety. He was taken to a local hospital for blood testing and then booked into the Lake County Jail on bail of $40,000.00 but has since posted bail and been released. His vehicle was towed and stored.

We want to thank the alert citizens who called 911 to help direct us to the location of this suspect. Without their assistance, he may have eluded capture this morning.

This incident remains under investigation and we are requesting that anyone with information contact us by sending us a private Facebook message @LakeportPolice, sending us an anonymous text message from your cell phone by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to the number 888777, by calling us at 707-263-5491 or by emailing investigating officers Casey Debolt at cdebolt@lakeportpolice.org or Kaylene Strugnell at kstrugnell@lakeportpolice.org

We have had a high number of intoxicated driving incidents in the City of Lakeport this year and are taking an aggressive stance against it. We thank all those community members who assist us in trying to eliminate the dangerous act of intoxicated driving, on both alcohol and drugs, that continues to put peoples lives at risk. With your help, we can save lives together. Call 911 to report intoxicated drivers.