Highway 101 high-speed chase leads to arrest of Petaluma man

A 39-year-old Petaluma man was apprehended at the Mendocino County line Wednesday after leading Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies and detectives on a chase north on Highway 101 at speeds up to 100 mph, a law officer said.

Gene Nehf drove away from authorities attempting to stop him in an allegedly stolen car at the Home Depot parking lot in Windsor about 2 p.m., Sgt. Shawn Murphy said in a press release.

Officers pursued the speeding PT Cruiser at high speeds up the freeway, with the sheriff’s helicopter monitoring the chase from the air, Murphy said.

Sonoma County officers were preparing to turn the pursuit over to the Mendocino County CHP when the car pulled onto the highway shoulder and Nehf fled on foot, he said.

He was detained after a brief chase.

Nehf was held without bail at the Sonoma County Jail on an outstanding felony warrant and on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and evading and resisting arrest.

A second man, Marco Zarco, 23, of Petaluma, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and a probation violation. Zarco was caught after getting out of the car before it left Windsor, Murphy said