Busy Weekend Post-Jail: Crime Spree, Drugs, 2 Arrests

A 33-year-old St. Helena man had a brief but eventful visit to UpValley Wine Country over the weekend -- starting right after he was released from Napa County Jail Saturday morning.

The visit ended when Justin Joseph Morris was arrested just after 10 a.m. Monday. It was the second time in the 2 1/2 days after his jail release that he was taken into custody by Napa County Sheriff's deputies.

By the time Morris was taken into custody for the second time on Monday, he was booked into Napa County Department of Corrections on suspicion of multiple offenses: Three counts of residential burglary, two counts of vehicle theft, illegal possession of ammunition, selling stolen property and committing a felony while out on bail, said Napa County Sheriff's Capt. Tracey Stuart.

The first arrest was Saturday afternoon, when Morris was held on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine after being found slumped over in a car in St. Helena. Morris posted bail after that and was released, Stuart said.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Morris was arrested Monday after he was chased up a tree in a wilderness area near Deer Park Sanitarium by Crespo, the Napa County Sheriff's K-9.

"It was out in the middle of nowhere," Stuart said.

Crespo, managed by Napa County Sheriff's Dep. James Baumgardner, chased Morris down a hillside after another deputy spotted Morris walking toward Crestmont in the Deer Park area Monday morning.

After Crespo was called off, Morris came down from the tree and was taken into custody.

Although the case is still under investigation, Morris allegedly left evidence of several burglary and theft incidents in his wake, Stuart said.

For example, sometime Saturday -- while Morris was either in the process of being arrested the first time or about to be in the process --  a family in St. Helena discovered they had been burglarized and called in a report.

Later in the weekend, deputies located a trailer parked alongside the road, loaded with $15,000 worth of items that had been stolen from the family, Stuart said.

The items were returned Sunday, but at that time there was no word on who had committed the burglary, Stuart said. Although Morris is thought to be linked to that incident, the case is still under investigation, she said.

Another incident, a car stolen from an Angwin resident early Monday, is also thought to be linked to Morris, Stuart said. That's because Morris led deputies on a chase with the vehicle at about 5:20 a.m. Monday, and then allegedly abandoned the vehicle and disappeared.

"The owner hadn't even reported the car stolen yet," Stuart said. "He didn't even know it was gone."

After the pursuit and Morris's disappearance, deputies spent almost five hours looking for him until he was spotted walking near Crestmont, Stuart said.

The Sheriff's Department put out two Nixle online alerts: one for the search; and a second brief note that a suspect had been arrested.

St. Helena and Calistoga police departments, as well as officers from the California Highway Patrol, assisted in the search.

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