Full Notification

On October 16, Jake Butler, 20 years old, Santa Rosa, was arrested for resisting arrest, reckless driving and driving under the influence of drugs.  
 
At approximately 7:26 PM, a deputy and his K-9 partner Max were driving southbound on Highway 101 at Todd Road, responding to help another deputy on a call.
 
Butler, the driver of a black Toyota Yaris, caught the attention of the deputy because he was paralleling him on the freeway at various speeds. The deputy sped up to 75 MPH and noticed the Toyota remained parallel to his patrol car. At 85 MPH, Butler moved right behind the deputy and began tailgating him and shadowing his driving maneuvers. It seemed suspicious to the deputy that a person would follow a marked patrol car so closely. The deputy began driving his car around Butler, getting behind him to pull him over.  During this time, another seemingly unrelated car side-swiped him and caused minor damage to the patrol car. That driver pulled over briefly, then drove away.  Butler finally pulled over near the brake check station on the Cotati grade after the deputy turned on his emergency overhead lights and siren.
 
Butler began acting strangely after he pulled over onto the freeway shoulder.  He was smoking, screaming, and would not follow the deputy’s orders.  It was unclear if the car was still running or not. The deputy requested more peace officers to help him because Butler’s actions were erratic and potentially dangerous. California Highway Patrol officers and deputies arrived to help. At one point, Butler lunged out of the driver’s window all the way to his waist and then back into the car. He repeatedly flung the car door open and shut. He continued behaving oddly and not complying with the deputy’s orders throughout their interactions.
 
After several minutes and numerous commands to get out of the car, Butler slowly got out of the car. The deputy told Butler that the K-9 would bite him if he continued to ignore orders. Butler then reached under the car and started crawling underneath it. The deputy used his K-9 partner Max to apprehend Butler to prevent the situation from becoming even more dangerous. Max bit Butler on the calf and ankle. Butler grabbed Max’s snout and tried to pry his mouth open. Butler was arrested and later transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released for his injuries. The deputy and K-9 Max were not injured.
 
Butler was booked into the Sonoma County jail on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and resisting arrest. He is being held on $10,000 bail.
 
Prepared by Sergeant Juan Valencia, Public Information Officer
Case No: 191016-018
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