Kentucky man arrested after allegedly stealing EDSO vehicle from South Lake Tahoe parking lot

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 30-year-old man from Kentucky is behind bars after allegedly stealing an El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) patrol car from South Lake Tahoe.

During shift change on Wednesday morning at their South Lake Tahoe office, a deputy noticed their loaded patrol SUV was missing from the parking lot. EDSO immediately began to track the SUV and found it to be traveling westbound on US50 past Echo Summit so they advised CHP, Placerville Police Department (PPD) and EDSO units on the west slope.

Law enforcement units got behind the stolen patrol SUV in Camino. However, the driver did not stop. PPD used a spike strip to disable a tire on the stolen vehicle on Highway 50 near Schnell School Road. The vehicle stopped at Highway 50 and Spring Street and the driver was taken into custody.

The suspect, Jacob Randall Wolfe, was still wearing an El Dorado County Sheriff’s baseball cap at the time of his arrest.

According to EDSO, no items are missing from the patrol vehicle and the gear was still locked in their appropriate areas. They are still unsure of how Wolfe gained access to the SUV.

"Thank you to our law enforcement partners in El Dorado County who helped us quickly and safely capture this person," said EDSO Sgt. Anthony Prencipe.

Wolfe is currently in the EDSO jail in Placerville on charges of felony vehicle theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felon with ammunition which on probation, evading a peace officer and impersonating a peace officer. His bail at this time is $74,000.