Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 41 year old John Mathison of Kingsburg. He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on charges of resisting arrest and evading a peace officer. His bail is set at $355,000.
Around 12:30 pm on Friday, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a man driving a silver SUV who had pointed a rifle out the window. This occurred on the 8200 block of S. Smith Ave. in Parlier. Deputies arrived in the area and spotted a vehicle matching the description. They attempted to make a traffic stop, but the driver, later identified as John Mathison, did not pull over. The suspect drove away as fast as 80 mph at times. Once the sheriff’s helicopter and airplane, EAGLE One and EAGLE Three, got on scene, patrol vehicles backed off. The Air Support Unit followed Mathison as he circled through a neighborhood near North and Bethel Avenues in Sanger. He drove through several times, eventually picking up a woman. Officers and deputies deployed spike strips on surrounding streets. A detective with the HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) Task Force successfully got the suspect to strike the spike strip, flattening one of his tires. Mathison eventually stopped in front of a home on the 2700 block of Cherry Ave. He and the woman got out of the SUV. Deputies ordered Mathison to surrender, but he did not comply. A deputy deployed K-9 Arco, who bit Mathison’s leg. Deputies then took Mathison into custody and called for EMS to transport him to the hospital for treatment. Deputies searched Mathison’s vehicle and did not find a rifle. They did find a machete, which may have been what he pointed out his window.
Deputies are familiar with John Mathison, having just arrested him on Memorial Day, May 25th. On that afternoon, he was driving a black Chevy Impala on S. Smith Ave in Parlier. A deputy observed him to be speeding. The deputy turned on his lights and siren and got him to pull over. Once near his driver door, the deputy realized Mathison was intoxicated. He ordered Mathison out of the car. The belligerent man began cussing out the deputy, all while taking sips from a beer. Mathison then took off, leading the deputy on a pursuit. Mathison reached speeds of 100 mph as he headed south on Lac Jac Ave, driving out of the deputy's sight. Due to safety concerns of other motorists, the deputy cancelled his pursuit, but continued driving in the direction of the suspect. Just up ahead, the deputy found Mathison's wrecked car in an orchard, along with a woman who had crashed into tree. Her entire driver side was wiped out. Deputies and CHP officers arrived on scene. They gave medical attention to the woman who was pinned inside her car, suffering a broken pelvis and injuries to her legs. Mathison, who was not badly hurt, was placed under arrest. The woman was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Before leaving, she told investigators Mathison passed her and as he was cutting back into her lane, he clipped the front of her small white car, causing it to spin off the road.
Mathison was booked into jail on charges of obstructing an officer, evading police and crashing his vehicle, which resulted in the injury of another person. Mathison was released three and a half hours later due to the Emergency Zero Dollar Bail Rule 4. Mathison qualified for a DUI charge, which is exempt from zero dollar bail. CHP was responsible for attaching this charge to his arrest report, however, the officer was unable to get the paperwork turned in prior to Mathison’s release.
In an effort to prevent Mathison from being released on zero bail this time, deputies submitted a declaration to a judge. This is a request to place a bail amount on an arrestee pursuant to Penal Code sections 1269c and 1275. It gives the deputy an opportunity to explain the dangers a person poses to the public and why they should be held in custody with bail. The result is that his bail is now set at $355,000.
Anyone with additional information about the suspect is asked to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Reference case #20-6200.
