For the third time, Jason Qualls, 34, of Ceres, had another run-in with a Ceres police canine when he was apprehended after yet another residential burglary.
On Monday afternoon Officer Julio Amador's canine bit Qualls on the nose, due to the fact that Qualls buried everything but his face in the dirt in an attempt to hide himself during a manhunt after the break-in was reported.
A Ceres woman arrived at her home in the 1700 block of Southwood Drive at 1:34 p.m. only to find Qualls inside ransacking through the residence. She tried to stop Qualls but he allegedly punched her and ran out with a purse containing jewelry. The woman's husband gave chase and ended up at 4017 Blaker when Qualls jumped over a fence in the direction of the wastewater treatment plant.
Police set up a perimeter and the canine was brought in for a search, using a sweatshirt that the suspect dropped. After an hour of searching, the canine picked up a scent in the wooded area of the sewer plant property. Police said that Qualls buried in dirt, leaving his face exposed.
Police located the purse which Qualls abandoned as he fled the scene.
Qualls sustained serious injuries to his face which required medical treatment. He was then booked for robbery and residential burglary.
Qualls has a history of residential burglaries and running from police, said Ceres Police Lt. Brent Smith.
Ceres police also worked these cases:
• JUVENILES SET TRASH CAN ON FIRE - A 14-year-old Ceres boy admitted to police officers that he set a trash can on fire in Redwood Park on Sunday. He was cited for arson and released to his guardian while three other accomplices, aged 11, 13, and 14, were all released to their parents.
The fire was reported at 6:50 p.m. with firefighters and police officers responding. Police found four juveniles at Tenth and Pyramid and were stopped as suspects.
• CHP ASSISTED BY POLICE CANINE - Ceres Police Officer Bryan Ferreira and his canine Diesel assisted California Highway Patrol officers during a Saturday traffic stop at Fourth and El Camino in which the dog sniffed out $12,000 in cash. The money was believed to be part of a drug sales operation.
• STORE ROBBED - A Cost Less Foods loss prevention officer was knocked to the ground on Wednesday, March 19, after a suspect was being stopped for hiding items in his clothing and trying to leave the store without paying for them.
The alleged commercial burglary became a robbery at 9:36 p.m. when David Cota, 38, of Modesto, used force and knocked an employee to the ground and sustained a scraped arm. Cota was apprehended and brought back into the store where police were called. Cota was arrested and booked on the two charges.
• OFFICER SEES FIGHT - A Modesto man was arrested on assault with a deadly weapon charges on Monday evening after he allegedly struck another man with a metal pipe in full view of a police officer in the Kmart parking lot.
At 7 p.m. Ceres Police Officer Greg Yotsuya was in the parking lot when he saw two males engaged in a physical fight with Lester Bell, 47, of Modesto, hitting the other man with a metal pipe. Yotsuya stopped the fight by drawing his gun on them until additional officers arrived.
Officers learned that the fight was over money.
The victim refused medical treatment but Bell was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.
