A high speed chase from Mineral County to Fallon ended with a person safely apprehended on the morning of February 4.
The Mineral County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) reported that at approximately 10:52 a.m. they were notified of a stolen vehicle that was on US-95 near mile marker 49 (on the eastern edge of Hawthorne). The deputy simply followed the vehicle but did not immediately use his emergency lights as he was still confirming if it was stolen. The suspect pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and the deputy pulled in behind him, and the driver got out of the vehicle and began walking towards the deputy’s patrol car in an aggressive manner, yelling at him.
The deputy began yelling orders at the subject, who ultimately went back and jumped into his vehicle, speeding away. This began the pursuit on US-95 going northbound towards Fallon. Walker River Tribal Police attempted to set up spikes on the highway at mile marker 75, but the suspect kept going.
Churchill County Sheriff’s Office and the Fallon Police Department joined the chase, setting up spikes on US-95 at the intersection at Pasture Road. The suspect saw the spikes and made a U-turn, heading southbound. He eventually made another U-turn and tried to avoid the spikes by driving on the dirt shoulder between the guardrail and an irrigation ditch.
The suspect was able to turn around and head southbound again when a Walker River Tribal Police officer fired multiple shots at the stolen vehicle. The car stopped, and the driver was taken into custody. No one was injured. US-95 was closed for about an hour-and-a-half to allow the Nevada Division of Investigations to perform its duties in the officer-involved shooting.
The driver of the stolen vehicle booked into custody and held at the MCSO is 32-year-old Acea Napora from Santa Monica, California. He was previously arrested on DUI charges on January 19 and February 2 in Southern California. He was arrested in Washington State in July of last year for theft of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, and felony eluding. All these cases against Napora are still pending.
When Napora was apprehended in Churchill County on February 4, he was booked on the three charges of: disobeying a peace officer/endangering other persons; possession of a stolen vehicle; and reckless driving with disregard to personal and/or property safety. Each charge carries a $12,140 bond.
