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Dirt bike rider leads police on pursuit before arrest
Ceres Cop Car

David Prince, 27, of Modesto, was arrested Sunday after he led police on a pursuit and showed signs of being intoxicated.

At 9:43 p.m. Ceres Police Officer Vince Hooper saw Prince popping a wheelie on a dirt bike traveling southbound down the middle turn lane of Mitchell Road. He was also riding without headlights and dangerously went into oncoming traffic and up onto the sidewalk on the east side of the road. Hooper felt it was too unsafe to follow him in the area of Fowler Road.

A short time later, Officer Pat Dayton spotted Prince headed back toward Mitchell Road on Fowler Road. Prince spotted the police unit and made a U-turn and fled. Dayton felt the motorcycle was too far away to initiate a pursuit.

About 10 minutes later, the same dirt bike appeared on Fowler Road traveling at a high rate of speed towards Mitchell Road. Dayton was now in position and pulled in behind Prince and attempted a traffic stop. The rider ignored the emergency lights and siren and sped northbound on Mitchell Road. Officer Hooper and Sgt. Greg Yotsuya were in the area and joined the pursuit which went onto eastbound Hatch Road, southbound on Faith Home Road and then eastbound on Roeding Road. Prince rode into the orchard on the south side of Roeding. About four rows in, the motorcycle struck a tree stump, knocking Prince off. He quickly got up and mounted the bike when Officer Eric Gallegos ran up to him and after a brief struggle was able to take the rider into custody.

Prince displayed signs and symptoms of alcohol impairment. He refused to perform field sobriety test, claiming he was injured but submitted to a breath test which showed 0.11 percent Blood Alcohol Content.

Prince was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of evading police, reckless driving, hit and run, and resisting arrest.