Man arrested twice in one morning after stealing his pickup from Coalinga tow yard, police say

COALINGA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A man was arrested twice in one morning after stealing his recently impounded pickup from a Coalinga tow yard, the Coalinga Police Department said.

According to officers, 40-year-old Ronald Jason Eskew had been arrested in the early morning hours by CHP. Police say he has a history of DUI arrests and was required to have an ignition interlock device installed; however, the device was illegally removed, and as a result, he was arrested and his pickup was towed.

After his release, police say Eskew made his way to the tow yard, got into his truck, and started it using a screwdriver.

Tow yard employees tried to close the gate, but according to officers, Eskew fled the yard, almost hitting one of the employees on the way out.

Several hours later, around 8:25 a.m., officers say they attempted to stop Eskew for a lighting violation near Highway 198 and Gale Avenue. Police say he failed to pull over and continued driving north on Highway 198 before turning around just before Palmer Avenue.

Police finally stopped him at the intersection of Elm and Springs after deploying a pursuit intervention technique.

Per the police department, Eskew was booked into the Coalinga City Jail and later transported to the Fresno County Jail on suspicion of reckless evading, assault with a deadly weapon, vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, and grand theft.