Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release: 

On 8-26-2014, at approximately 10:30 a.m. the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a domestic disturbance over a vehicle occurring in the 1700 block of Edeline Avenue, McKinleyville. When the deputy responding to the call arrived in the area, he saw a blue 1982 Honda sedan turn onto Washington Avenue from Worth Avenue, in front of his patrol car. The deputy saw a woman was hanging onto the roof of the Honda and was signaling the deputy for help. The deputy attempted a traffic stop on the Honda, however it failed to yield. The deputy followed the Honda for several blocks with his emergency lights and siren activated, until it yielded in a driveway on Hayes Street, McKinleyville.

After the driver yielded, the woman removed herself from the roof of the Honda. The deputy detained the driver in handcuffs, while he spoke with the 24 year old female. She told the deputy her 63 year old father was the man driving the car. She said the car belonged to her 18 year old sister, who was supposed to leave for college the next day. Her father did not want her sister to drive to college in the car, so he decided to take it away from her. Her father grabbed the car keys and started to drive off with the car, so she got onto the roof to try to prevent him from leaving.  She did not believe he would drive away with her on the roof. She told the deputy she received a minor injury from a brief confrontation with her father over the car keys, prior to her father driving off with the car. She did not want prosecution, only the car returned to the legal owner, her sister.

The deputy interviewed the father who acknowledged driving the car away with his daughter on the roof. He told the deputy he did not want his daughter to take the car to college. He said he kept his speed down to around 20 miles per hour, since she was on the roof.  He told the deputy he knew the patrol car was behind him, but he did not want to stop on a busy street. After interviewing the father, the deputy determined he needed a mental health evaluation and he was transported to a local mental health facility.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.