Man admits guilt in south Oroville shooting, car chase
Two other unnamed subjects face charges related to shooting
OROVILLE » Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Jesse Dean Sweeney, 22, of Berry Creek, admitted Wednesday to an August shooting in south Oroville and a subsequent car chasemore than a week later.
Sweeney pleaded as charged in Butte County SuperiorCourt to discharging a firearm with gross negligence and possession of a firearm by a felon for the Aug. 28 shooting, in addition to fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle while driving recklessly, anddrivingunder the influence of alcohol for the 12mile pursuit on Sept. 6.
Gunshots were reported Aug. 28 near Spencer and Mesa avenues, and more were reported on D Street, Ramsey said. No one was injured in the shooting.
Responding officers observed a speeding black sedan believed to have been involved in the shootings. After the car failed to pull over when officers attempted a traffic stop, a two-mile chase ensued. Officers lost sight of the vehicle briefly before finding it abandoned at the intersection of Bird and Sixth streets.
Witnesses said a female exited the driver’s side. The female was then found on Bird Street and arrested. The DA did not name the female, though she currently faces charges of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle and accessory after the fact.
In the same area on Bird Street, Sweeney and another male were found hiding. Oroville police officers located a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in the yard where Sweeney was located. The same type of casings were found at the scene of the shooting.
However, officers released Sweeney and the other suspect pending further investigation. Ramsey said that although no one was injured in the shooting, officers would later find a bullet hole in a vehicle in the neighborhood.
Oroville police reached out to the DA’s Office to seek advice on how to proceed. Ramsey he advised them to get an arrest warrant. A local judge signed the warrant.
On Sept. 6, a California State Parks officer saw Sweeney driving a vehicle on Olive Highway near Medley Lane. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but Sweeney did not yield. A 12-mile chase ensued, ending when Sweeney’s vehicle struck a tree at PamRLane and Bald Rock Road. Officers who contacted Sweeney said they determined he was under the influence of alcohol.
Sweeney faces a maximumof four years and four months in California State Prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4.
The male co- defendant, also yet to be named, faces charges of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and possession of a firearm by a felon. A preliminary hearing for him is set for Oct. 21.