According to a press release from the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office a burglary occurred off of Elk Valley Road Wednesday night just before 5:00pm. It’s believed that the primary suspect broke into the residence and stole a vehicle from the garage. It is also believed that that suspect obtained the keys to that vehicle from a previous burglary.
National Parks Service personnel encountered the vehicle being driven near the Smith River area and initiated a pursuit. The operator of the stolen vehicle was absolutely a danger to the public and he attempted to evade law enforcement. The Crescent City California Highway Patrol and Del Norte County Sheriff’s officers joined into the pursuit as the driver refused to pull over.
The pursuit continued for several miles and ultimately headed up Low Divide Road. The driver continued up low divide until he caused the vehicle to become inoperable and fled on foot.
The suspect was tracked by law enforcement into some incredibly dense wilderness. A perimeter was established and the Del Norte County Sheriff’s officers requested mutual aid from Pelican Bay CRT and the National Parks Service K9 unit.
After several hours of tracking the suspect by foot and traversing through the nearly impassible wild terrain, law enforcement located 42 year old Steven Louis Sills, and apprehended him.
Sheriff Apperson was present during the entire incident and said “Today’s success is 100% a result of top-tier law enforcement professionals unwilling to quit while in pursuit of an individual that was tormenting our community. I could not be more impressed by their willingness to assist and the exemplary performance displayed by our local partners including National Parks Service, California Highway Patrol and Pelican Bay CRT. I’m incredibly proud of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s officers for their management in the apprehension of Mr. Sills. He absolutely needed to be taken into custody and off of the streets.”
