On the night of August 31, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office was operating a stationary DUI checkpoint with the Southeastern Arizona DUI Task Force.
A black 2001 Chevrolet Silverado was passing through the checkpoint when deputies ran the license plate and noted that it returned to a 1969 truck, not a new vehicle.
At approximately 9:43 p.m., deputies attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle on State Route 90 eastbound near Colonia De Salud. The vehicle failed to yield to deputies and turned south on Moson Road before being forced to stop due to significant vehicle damage on Blaze Way and Pintek Lane.
The driver fled the vehicle and was not located while the passenger was taken into custody. The passenger was identified as 37-year-old Ellis Jon Mathis, who advised he was homeless. Mathis was transported to the Sheriff’s Office where he was booked on an outstanding warrant from the Sierra Vista Justice Court on charges of Forgery and Theft ($5000 bond), an outstanding warrant from Colorado on charges of Crimes Against Persons ($50,000 bond), and a new charge of Possession of Marijuana with a bond of $25,000.
The investigation revealed that the vehicle was stolen from Clark County in Washington. Leads are being followed to positively identify and locate the driver of the vehicle at the time of the incident.