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Rainbow Family member's bike ride to freedom foiled
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| Modoc County Sheriff's Office photo Rainbow family member Michael Eugene Campbell, faces multiple charges in Modoc County. |
Published July 27, 2004
By JEAN BILODEAUX - H&N Correspondent
ALTURAS - Multiple charges, including escaping from jail, face a Rainbow Family member.
After he escaped from jail Sunday, law officers said, the man was chased through yards, threatened one person with a hammer and was finally caught pedaling away from town on a bicycle - complete with helmet - after he had ditched his orange prison clothes for some he stole.
Things started earlier when Michael Eugene Campbell, 29, of Lakewood, Colo. , was arrested for attempting to rob the Holiday Market in Alturas. Campbell, who came to Modoc County to attend the Rainbow gathering, entered the market with Rainbow Family partner Eric Shane Schlicht, 33, of New England.
Ken Barnes, chief of the Alturas Police Department, gave this account of what happened:
Schlicht had filled a cart with groceries at the market while Campbell walked around the store carrying a jar of pickles. After being in the store about 20 minutes, Campbell threw the jar of pickles on the floor creating a disturbance so Schlicht could run out of the store with the cart of groceries.
The market's manager ran after Schlicht and confronted him as he was loading the stolen groceries into his car. The manager then grabbed the cart from Schlicht and told him he was going to call the cops.
While the manager attempted to write down the car's license number, Barnes said, Campbell came up and tried to hide the plates. Then he took a couple of swings at the manager with a pair of pliers and ran away.
Schlicht jumped into his car and raced away, crashing into another vehicle. Modoc County Sheriff's deputies tried to stop him as he sped away. The deputies chased and arrested Schlicht near Warner and Eighth streets.
Meanwhile, Campbell ran through yards while being chased by an officer and two citizens. Campbell stole a hammer and when the owner of the hammer tried to stop him, Campbell threatened him with it. The hammer's owner backed away. Campbell ran to the 1300 block of East Fifth Street. There the suspect jumped through an open window of a home and barricaded himself inside. Barnes and two sheriff's sergeants called for him to come out. When he didn't surrender, they went in and arrested him.
Campbell was charged with armed robbery, possession of stolen property, burglary, brandishing a weapon, resisting and delaying an officer, and trespass.
In the impounded vehicle were found the groceries, and books stolen from the Modoc County Library. The books resulted in an additional count of possession of stolen property.
Schlicht was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property, hit and run, and resisting and delaying an officer.
Then came the escape.
On Sunday at about 1:40 p.m., a Modoc County jail guard was momentarily distracted when allowing prisoners, including Campbell, to make phone calls. When the guard turned back to the prisoners, Campbell ran by him. The escaping prisoner lifted the heavy door that allows vehicles to enter the jail.
A city police officer and a Modoc County deputy were nearby and gave chase. The escapee ran into a house and the officers could not find him.
The Modoc County Sheriff's Office asked the California Highway Patrol for assistance. A CHP helicopter, a canine unit and officers responded, joining units from the sheriff's office and Alturas Police Department. Residents began calling in reports of open doors on homes in the same general area.
According to Undersheriff Mark Gentry, the escapee had stolen some clothes, getting rid of his orange jail jumpsuit early in the chase.
"We had just notified the radio station to start warning people to lock their cars and homes, when just before 5 p.m., we received a call from a citizen saying he had seen a man dressed in a heavy shirt and dark clothes, wearing a helmet, riding down the street on a bicycle," said Gentry.
Campbell is easy to recognize. Ge has tattoos covering his face and body, including having a blue-tattooed nose.
The CHP helicopter spotted the Campbell bicycling out of town past Sulley's Trailer Park on the south side of Alturas.
Deputy Stacey Callahan located the suspect near the railroad station. Callahan called to Campbell to drop to his knees. The man started to drop, then jumped up and ran away. Callahan gave chase, tackling him and rolling him into a ditch. Callahan made the arrest with the assistance of city police officer Tex Dowdy and sheriff's deputy Vern Seevers.
"We had Campbell transported to the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. He was placed in the safe keeping area for uncontrollable inmates and for having threatened officers," explained Gentry.
Campbell now faces a felony escape charge and another count of burglary, in addition to all the other charges.
@Agate:Correspondent Jean Bilodeaux covers Surprise Valley. She can be reached at (530) 279-2031, or at P.O. Box 5, Cedarville, CA 96104, or by sending an e-mail to jeanb@hdo.net.
By JEAN BILODEAUX - H&N Correspondent
ALTURAS - Multiple charges, including escaping from jail, face a Rainbow Family member.
After he escaped from jail Sunday, law officers said, the man was chased through yards, threatened one person with a hammer and was finally caught pedaling away from town on a bicycle - complete with helmet - after he had ditched his orange prison clothes for some he stole.
Things started earlier when Michael Eugene Campbell, 29, of Lakewood, Colo. , was arrested for attempting to rob the Holiday Market in Alturas. Campbell, who came to Modoc County to attend the Rainbow gathering, entered the market with Rainbow Family partner Eric Shane Schlicht, 33, of New England.
Ken Barnes, chief of the Alturas Police Department, gave this account of what happened:
Schlicht had filled a cart with groceries at the market while Campbell walked around the store carrying a jar of pickles. After being in the store about 20 minutes, Campbell threw the jar of pickles on the floor creating a disturbance so Schlicht could run out of the store with the cart of groceries.
The market's manager ran after Schlicht and confronted him as he was loading the stolen groceries into his car. The manager then grabbed the cart from Schlicht and told him he was going to call the cops.
While the manager attempted to write down the car's license number, Barnes said, Campbell came up and tried to hide the plates. Then he took a couple of swings at the manager with a pair of pliers and ran away.
Schlicht jumped into his car and raced away, crashing into another vehicle. Modoc County Sheriff's deputies tried to stop him as he sped away. The deputies chased and arrested Schlicht near Warner and Eighth streets.
Meanwhile, Campbell ran through yards while being chased by an officer and two citizens. Campbell stole a hammer and when the owner of the hammer tried to stop him, Campbell threatened him with it. The hammer's owner backed away. Campbell ran to the 1300 block of East Fifth Street. There the suspect jumped through an open window of a home and barricaded himself inside. Barnes and two sheriff's sergeants called for him to come out. When he didn't surrender, they went in and arrested him.
Campbell was charged with armed robbery, possession of stolen property, burglary, brandishing a weapon, resisting and delaying an officer, and trespass.
In the impounded vehicle were found the groceries, and books stolen from the Modoc County Library. The books resulted in an additional count of possession of stolen property.
Schlicht was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property, hit and run, and resisting and delaying an officer.
Then came the escape.
On Sunday at about 1:40 p.m., a Modoc County jail guard was momentarily distracted when allowing prisoners, including Campbell, to make phone calls. When the guard turned back to the prisoners, Campbell ran by him. The escaping prisoner lifted the heavy door that allows vehicles to enter the jail.
A city police officer and a Modoc County deputy were nearby and gave chase. The escapee ran into a house and the officers could not find him.
The Modoc County Sheriff's Office asked the California Highway Patrol for assistance. A CHP helicopter, a canine unit and officers responded, joining units from the sheriff's office and Alturas Police Department. Residents began calling in reports of open doors on homes in the same general area.
According to Undersheriff Mark Gentry, the escapee had stolen some clothes, getting rid of his orange jail jumpsuit early in the chase.
"We had just notified the radio station to start warning people to lock their cars and homes, when just before 5 p.m., we received a call from a citizen saying he had seen a man dressed in a heavy shirt and dark clothes, wearing a helmet, riding down the street on a bicycle," said Gentry.
Campbell is easy to recognize. Ge has tattoos covering his face and body, including having a blue-tattooed nose.
The CHP helicopter spotted the Campbell bicycling out of town past Sulley's Trailer Park on the south side of Alturas.
Deputy Stacey Callahan located the suspect near the railroad station. Callahan called to Campbell to drop to his knees. The man started to drop, then jumped up and ran away. Callahan gave chase, tackling him and rolling him into a ditch. Callahan made the arrest with the assistance of city police officer Tex Dowdy and sheriff's deputy Vern Seevers.
"We had Campbell transported to the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. He was placed in the safe keeping area for uncontrollable inmates and for having threatened officers," explained Gentry.
Campbell now faces a felony escape charge and another count of burglary, in addition to all the other charges.
@Agate:Correspondent Jean Bilodeaux covers Surprise Valley. She can be reached at (530) 279-2031, or at P.O. Box 5, Cedarville, CA 96104, or by sending an e-mail to jeanb@hdo.net.
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