Man arrested after low-speed tractor chase
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AMERICAN FALLS – A 25-year-old man was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly led deputies on a low-speed chase while driving a stolen tractor.
Gustavo Gonzalez-Palacios was charged with felony grand theft and felony eluding an officer, according to a news release from the Power County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday around 8 p.m., the Power County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from a man about a disturbance at a North Pleasant Valley Road home.
He told dispatch that Gonzalez-Palacios was highly intoxicated and had walked away from the house.
A Power County Sheriff’s Office deputy and an Idaho State Trooper spoke with family, checked the area, and were unable to locate Gonzalez-Palacios.
At 10:02 p.m., the sheriff’s office received another phone call from the same person, saying that Gonzalez-Palacios had been found and was reportedly driving a stolen tractor on Lamb Weston Road.
At 10:07 p.m., deputies found Gonzalez-Palacios driving the tractor west on that road.
Gonzalez-Palacios allegedly refused to pull over and stop for the deputies who had activated their overhead emergency lights and sirens. He continued west, eventually turning north onto a field road towards South Pleasant Valley Road.
The pursuit continued on South Pleasant Valley Road and onto several other roads in the Pleasant Valley area.
Eventually, the pursuit ended on North Pleasant Valley Road, when Gonzalez-Palacios returned to his house and parked the tractor near a garage.
According to the release, speeds during the pursuit did not exceed 28 mph, but two uninvolved vehicles were run off the road by the tractor.
The tractor’s owner was found and confirmed that no one had permission to operate or be in possession of the tractor during that time.
No injuries or other property damage was reported, but additional charges are pending due to damage to the tractor.
Gonzalez-Palacios was arrested and booked into the Power County Jail with a bond of $30,000.
He is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 24. If convicted, he could face up to 23 years in prison.
Though Gonzalez-Palacios has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.