High-Speed Pursuit Ends in Vineyard Arrest with Help from Thermal Drone

This is a press release from the Ukiah Police Department. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:

On 08/02/25 at approximately 9:45 p.m. a Ukiah Police Department Officer was on routine patrol in the 1000 block of North State Street when he noticed a red Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction at approximately 20 MPH over the posted speed limit. The officer immediately turned his patrol vehicle around, activated his vehicle’s emergency lights, and attempted to catch up to the speeding motorist.

As the officer and the suspect vehicle traveled southbound towards the 900 block of North State Street it became apparent that the driver of the suspect vehicle did not intend to yield to the traffic stop, and a vehicle pursuit began. The suspect vehicle turned eastbound onto Brush Street, and then southbound onto North Orchard Avenue. The suspect vehicle then turned eastbound onto E. Perkins Street and took E. Perkins Street to Watson Road and over the hill to Old River Road. UPD requested assistance from The California Highway Patrol and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, and later informed Sonoma County law enforcement that a pursuit was headed in their direction.

The pursuit continued at high rates of speed southbound on Old River Road, with the suspect vehicle swerving in and out of its lane of travel and proceeding in the wrong direction of traffic for long periods of time. As the suspect vehicle approached Hopland it abruptly made a 180 degree turn and the pursuit continued northbound back towards Ukiah.

Wanting to ensure that the suspect did not lead the pursuit into downtown Ukiah, The California Highway patrol set up spike strips (tire deflation devices) near the intersection of Old River Road and Talmage Road. The suspect ran over the spike strips and immediately lost tire pressure. The suspect pulled to the side of the road in the 2000 block of Sanford Ranch Road and fled on foot from the vehicle into a vineyard to the west.

Law enforcement was quickly able to establish a perimeter around the vineyard and deploy a drone that was equipped with a thermal imaging camera. The drone operated quickly, spotted the suspect in the vineyard, and was able to direct officers towards him. The suspect attempted to run but was eventually cornered and apprehended without incident.

The suspect was identified as 34-year-old Willits resident Kolton Lindecarnes. Lindecarnes appeared to be heavily intoxicated and did not provide any information as to why he had fled from law enforcement and caused extreme danger to the community. Lindecarnes was arrested and booked into the Mendocino County Jail for charges of 2800.4 CVC, 2800.2 CVC, 23152(a) CVC, and 23247(e) CVC.

As always, UPD’s mission is to make Ukiah as safe a place as possible, and we are grateful for the help that we received from the California Highway Patrol and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. If you would like to know more about crime in your neighborhood, you can sign up for telephone, cellphone, and email notifications by clicking the Nixle button on our website; www.ukiahpolice.com.

Earlier: High-Speed Chase Through Mendocino County Ends With Suspect on the Run in Vineyards