The Keyes man arrested for the burglary at the Turlock Veterans of Foreign War Hall in April found himself back in custody after leading Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit that ended with his vehicle in a canal.
Ricky Dean Beets, Jr. 32, was arrested for evading a peace officer, hit and run causing property damage, resisting arrest, possession of burglary tools and committing a crime while out on bail for the Monday afternoon incident, said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Anthony Bejaran.
Beets had been arrested in April for the break-in at the VFW at 1405 E. Linwood Ave. Beets and another suspect allegedly made their way into the VFW hall by ramming open a gate with a stolen truck. They then pried open a metal door and went about trying to take the automatic teller machine, which was bolted to the ground. In their first attempt the suspects wrapped a cable around it and tried to pull it loose using the truck. The attempt didn’t work and the two men left, only to return about 10 minutes later with some tools. The second attempt was no more successful than the first and the thieves had to settle for stealing some vintage rifles and alcohol. The failed attempts at stealing the ATM caused quite a bit of damage in the hall’s cantina, which club officials estimated was in the thousands of dollars.
Beets was identified as a potential suspect in the burglary from video surveillance and was arrested by the Oakdale Police Department during a traffic stop on April 7.
Stanislaus County Superior Court records do not show any charges filed against Beets for the VFW burglary as of this time.
The incident on Monday began when members of the Sheriff's Team Investigating Narcotics and Gangs were out on patrol in Keyes. A deputy spotted Beets driving in the 5000 block of 9th Street in Keyes and recognized him as having an outstanding warrant. A traffic stop was attempted, but Beets failed to yield to him and instead sped off.
The pursuit found its way to the 5700 block of Grayson Road in Hughson, where Beets lost control of the vehicle on a canal bank, sending it into the full canal, Bejaran said.
Even with the car submerged in the canal Beets continued to try and make an escape. Ignoring the deputies orders to surrender, Beets tried swimming away from the vehicle. The attempt was for naught, as he was taken into custody and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail.
This was not the first time Beets has had an unsuccessful attempt at evading peace officers. In April 2015 he was arrested by Turlock Police officers for a pursuit that ended when he crashed the vehicle into a pole. He was charged with auto theft, attempted burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, and fleeing a peace officer. He was out on bail for those charges when he was arrested for the VFW burglary.
Beets currently remains in custody in lieu of a $450,000 bail.
