A man and woman were arrested recently in Ukiah after an attempted traffic stop led to a chase through a vineyard and into a creek, the Ukiah Police Department reported.

According to the UPD, an officer attempted to stop a woman, identified as Anamaria M. Mejia, 51, of Ukiah, after reportedly seeing her talking on her cell phone while driving her Nissan SUV on East Perkins Street around 3:45 p.m. Dec. 14.

However, after the stop was initiated, the vehicle continued eastbound passing "several easily accessible turnouts and parking lots, leading the officer to suspect that Mejia was fleeing. As the Nissan approached the intersection of East Perkins Street and Oak Manor Drive, Mejia veered radically to the other side of the road towards a vineyard, (and) an unidentified male passenger jumped out of the rear driver's side of the vehicle and began running into the vineyard."

After driving into the vineyard while Mejia drove away, the officer began to chase the man on foot until losing sight of him near Gibson Creek. When additional officers arrived and a "Drone, or department-issued unmanned aerial system" was deployed, the suspect was found in the creek and identified as Douglas T. Whipple III, a 38-year-old resident of Mendocino County.

According to the UPD, Whipple was on active parole for a firearms-related offense and "had two outstanding felony warrants for his arrest for violations of parole, and had been a "PAL" (Parolee at large) for approximately three months and was considered armed and dangerous at the time of his arrest."

After Whipple was booked into jail, a warrant was issued for "Mejia's arrest for her involvement in Whipple's attempt to escape capture," and when officers arrived at her home in Ukiah, they reportedly "observed a substantial amount of marijuana inside the residence, which they believed was indicative of drug sales."

After the UPD obtained a search warrant and officers from Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force arrived to assist, officers reportedly seized "dozens of pounds of processed marijuana, as well as psilocybin (commonly known as magic mushrooms), and methamphetamine."

Mejia was then booked into county jail on suspicion of harboring a fugitive, failing to obey an officer's orders and giving false information to an officer. The UPD notes that the county task force "will be forwarding their portion of the investigation to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office for additional charges of possessing a controlled substance and possession of marijuana with the intent to sell."