Jamestown, CA…From the Tuolumne Sheriff’s Dept…Just before 5 PM yesterday, a Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to make a traffic enforcement stop on a white Chevy S10 pickup on Hwy 108 at Keystone Ranch. Driver, 43-year-old Darren Gerdes of Sonora who is wanted on several warrants, failed to yield and a pursuit ensued. During the pursuit Gerdes threw an item out of the truck that appeared to be a hypodermic needle. Gerdes led deputies to the Chicken Ranch Casino in Jamestown where he crashed his truck into a tree and fled on foot. Gerdes was apprehended quickly by K9 Beau and taken into custody. Deputies found methamphetamine during a search of the truck.

Gerdes was booked into the Tuolumne County Jail for evading, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, reckless driving, several vehicle violations and his warrants for evading and selling drugs to a prisoner.