Yuba City man, a felon, gets 10 years for chase with game warden

By Todd R. Hansen

Tri-County Newspapers

A Yuba City man was sentenced to more than 10 years in state prison on Friday for his 2011 run-in with state Fish and Game wardens after a high-speed chase near Elk Creek.

Shawn L. Markure, 39, pleaded no contest in November to three felony charges of reckless driving while fleeing a peace officer, deterring a peace officer and child endangerment.

The deal was in exchange for having nearly 60 other felony charges dropped, officials said.

Game wardens tried to stop Markure just west of Elk Creek around 2 a.m. July 22, 2011, for a vehicle code violation, but instead he fled at speeds in excess of 100 mph, officials said.

Markure's violent criminal history was a factor in the sentence by Superior Court Judge Donald C. Byrd, including the 1995 assault in which Markure hit a man in the head with a tire iron, District Attorney Robert Maloney said Monday.

Markure has also had a number of alcohol-related offenses, including driving under the influence, which were noted in the probation report.

Markure had the 17-year-old daughter of a friend in his vehicle, who claimed she had urged Markure to pull over when the officer first tried to make the stop, Maloney said.

"During this initial pursuit, Markure suddenly made a U-turn and drove directly at Warden Beals' vehicle," Maloney said. "Warden Beals and then US Forest Service Capt. Chad Krogstead, who was in another vehicle behind Beals in the pursuit, both had to change lanes completely to avoid a head-on collision."

Maloney said Markure threw a shotgun out the car window, which he possessed illegally as a felon.

After a chase of about eight miles, Markure again made a U-turn.

Maloney said Markure aimed his vehicle at Beals' vehicle and "bailed out," causing his vehicle to collide with Beals' patrol truck. He was arrested shortly afterward.