Overview
- The crash, which occurred Saturday around 12:03 a.m., left a sedan crushed on the 1700 block of Sinton Road in Santa Maria after deputies received a 911 call.
- An adult woman who had been a passenger escaped the vehicle without serious injury, according to the sheriff’s office.
- Deputies located the suspect, 38-year-old Levi Gaze of Paso Robles, still in the front-loader tractor and took him into custody without incident.
- Gaze was booked at the Northern Branch Jail on felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism and on an outstanding no-bail warrant from San Luis Obispo County.
- The sheriff’s office released photos showing heavy damage to the sedan, and investigators say the probe is ongoing with potential for additional charges or civil claims as evidence is reviewed.