Local man arrested after fleeing scene of wreck (3-2-11)

By KRIS REILLY, EDITOR

LUCERNE VALLEY • A local man crashed a stolen quad last Thursday, fled the scene and was arrested the next morning, authorities said.

According to California Highway Patrol reports, Donovan Rae Bacon, 19, was driving the quad eastbound on Sunset Road (a non-maintained dirt road) at about 60 miles an hour when the vehicle overturned and seriously injured the passenger, Stephen Stidham, 48, of Barstow.

A nearby witness called the authorities, and Bacon apparently fled the scene before CHP officers arrived.

Neither man was wearing a helmet, the CHP said. Stidham was airlifted to a trauma center in critical condition with blunt force trauma to his upper body and head, CHP Officer Melanie Weaver said.

The CHP determined that the quad had been stolen. Weaver said the cause of the crash was being investigated, but the quad’s high rate of speed was likely a factor.

Weaver said Bacon was picked up the next morning by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on suspicion of grand theft auto and an unrelated warrant.

Court records show a warrant was issued for Bacon’s arrest last Wednesday after he failed to appear in court for a restitution hearing for a vandalism conviction.

Bacon, who sustained minor cuts and scrapes on his head and face in the crash, will likely face charges for felony hit-and-run and grand theft auto, Weaver said.

Court records show Bacon is also currently facing charges for other unrelated offenses, including a felony charge of possessing, manufacturing or selling an illegal weapon and misdemeanor charges for public intoxication and consuming alcohol while under the age of 21.