On Thursday, 34-year-old James Hammons of Rodgers, Ark. and 39-year-old Sara Erbe of Fayetteville, Ark. were convicted of multiple counts stemming from an Oct. 8, 2012 carjacking in Davis, according to a Yolo County press release.
Hammons pled no contest to six crimes — carjacking, evading a police officer, vehicle theft, receipt of stolen property, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of personal information of 10 or more people. He agreed to serve 12 years and four months in state prison.
Erbe pled no contest to three crimes, including vehicle theft, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of personal information of 10 or more people. She will serve two years and eight months in county prison.
On Oct. 8, Davis police officer Trevor Edens spotted a suspiciously-painted car at the Motel 6 on Chiles Road. Edens checked the license plate and determined the car was stolen. Hammons left his motel room and fled when Edens attempted to speak to him.
Hammons escaped to a nearby Taco Bell drive-thru and tried to get in a car with a family, but the father was able to stop him. Hammons then went to the front of the drive-thru line and told a woman in a car that he had a gun. The woman cooperated with Hammons, who took off in her car.
Edens pursued Hammons in a high-speed car chase. Hammons drove through the Yolo Bypass Wildlife area, crashing through the metal gate and driving into a marsh. He then left the car and ran into a cornfield.
The Yolo County press release stated the California Highway Patrol provided a helicopter, in which they were able to locate Hammons through thermal imaging. The Davis Police K9 eventually caught Hammons, who was found with a driver’s license and other personal information belonging to a 19-year-old man from Oklahoma.
At the Motel 6, Davis Police noticed Erbe leave Hammons’ motel room. The police discovered personal identification information stolen from 60 people across the United States. Officers also discovered stolen license plates, stolen property, methamphetamine, over two pounds of marijuana and other narcotics paraphernalia.
Hammons and Erbe have outstanding arrest warrants in Arkansas as well. They will both be sentenced on April 11 at the Yolo County Superior Court.
— Claire Tan
