How to resolve AdBlock issue? LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Napa County authorities have arrested and charged a Middletown man with multiple felonies after they said he set two fires on Thursday, assaulted his father, and carjacked and seriously injured a good Samaritan, kidnapping her young daughter in the process.
William Ralph Harbour IV, 37, was arrested Thursday afternoon by a Napa County Sheriff’s deputy and booked into the Napa County Jail later that night, according to booking records.
He’s alleged to have started the McKinley fire in Middletown, which was dispatched just after noon on Thursday, and is accused of elder abuse for running over his father and setting fire to his car.
Harbour also is charged with carjacking for taking the vehicle of a woman who stopped to help him, severely injuring her in the process, while also kidnapping her 7-year-old daughter before leading officers on a high-speed chase.
On Monday, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office filed a complaint charging Harbour with 14 felonies and four special allegations in the case. Court records show he was arraigned Monday afternoon.
Harbour is charged with kidnapping for carjacking, which upon conviction could carry a life sentence; kidnapping; carjacking with a special allegation of causing great bodily injury to the woman whose vehicle he took; evading an officer against traffic; evading an officer with willful disregard; two counts of assault on a peace officer for assaulting two California State Parks officers; attempted unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; carjacking; elder or dependent adult abuse of his father, William Harbour III; grand theft of personal property, specifically, $1,000 from William Harbour III; arson of property of another for setting fire to his father’s Mercedes; and recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest near the intersection of Highway 175 and McKinley Drive.
He’s also charged with special allegations of committing arson during a state emergency; violence, cruelty, viciousness or callousness in committing seven of the acts; that the three victims were particularly vulnerable; violent conduct; and committing the offenses in two or more jurisdictions, specifically, Lake and Napa counties.
The agencies involved in pursuing and apprehending Harbour included the California State Parks, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol.
When contacted about the incident, California State Parks referred Lake County News to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the investigation and whose narrative the Napa County District Attorney used for the Monday court filing.
Asked for more information about the case on Tuesday, Napa County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Carlos Villatoro said he had nothing additional to share.
Tyree Zander, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit spokesperson, said he did not have information about a determination on the McKinley fire’s cause.
Spree of violence continuing over two counties
What sparked the spree of violence that Harbour is alleged to have carried out so far isn’t clear, but the trail can be pieced together through a series of radio calls with Lake County Sheriff and fire dispatch along with the case documents released so far.
The McKinley fire, at McKinley Drive and Highway 175, was reported at around noon on Thursday. Firefighters were on scene quickly and held it to about two acres, according to radio reports.
Just after 12:10 p.m. Lake County Sheriff’s dispatch reported receiving a call from the 17000 block of Arroyo Vista Road near Whispering Pines about a subject named “William” who was chasing people, had run over his dad and was fighting with his grandma. The caller requested medics.
It was then reported that the subject had left in a green Jeep Liberty headed toward Highway 175. Radio traffic indicated that it was not known where he might be traveling, that he “has no friends,” and that the vehicle had possible body damage on the rear passenger side.
A short time later, dispatch said there was a black Mercedes on fire at the Arroyo Vista address. Smoke was coming from the gas tank. Cal Fire later responded from the McKinley fire to the incident.
Deputies reported looking for Harbour along Highway 175 but didn’t locate him.
Shortly before 1 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported that there was a rollover crash on Highway 29 on the Napa County side, near mile post marker 45, which is close to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
State Parks officers had arrived on the scene and saw Harbour walking on the roadway bleeding. As one of them stopped and got out of his vehicle Harbour attempted to steal the vehicle. The State Parks officer had to forcefully remove Harbour from the driver's seat. Harbour then fled on foot.
About 10 minutes later, a report went out over the air about a possible carjacking, with the subject traveling southbound on Highway 29 over Mount Saint Helena towards Tubbs Lane. The vehicle involved was reported to be a brown Jeep, traveling at high speeds. A few minutes later, it was reported that a juvenile was believed to be in the vehicle with the responsible subject.
As the State Parks officers were searching for Harbour they found an injured woman on the ground in the roadway who told them that someone took her vehicle with her 7-year-old daughter inside.
The case narrative said the woman encountered Harbour as he was walking along Highway 29 inside Napa County. She pulled over because she thought he needed help.
When she got out of her Jeep, Harbour took the vehicle. The case narrative said she grabbed the steering wheel and begged Harbour to stop because her child was inside.
The woman fell off the vehicle as Harbour accelerated and she lost consciousness after hitting the ground. She sustained a fractured skull, brain bruise and road rash, the case narrative said.
Harbour continued to drive with the terrified child inside the vehicle, dropping her off a short distance away before he continued on and was located by the State Parks officers.
The Napa County Sheriff’s case narrative stated that Harbour then led them on a pursuit with speeds reaching over 80 miles per hour.
He drove over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic several times during the pursuit, with the ranger reporting that other motorists had to move out of the way to avoid a collision during the pursuit.
Harbour intentionally rammed a State Parks vehicle twice before the pursuit ended, the narrative said.
Based on radio traffic, Harbour was taken into custody shortly before 1:30 p.m.
Case documents said the pursuit ended when Harbour came to a dead end at a
gate in the 7200 block of Heide Ranch and Sonoma roads in Napa County and he was taken into custody.
Just after 1:30 p.m., an ambulance was requested to report to the 7100 block of Sharp Road, south of Calistoga.
The California Highway Patrol advised deputies that Harbour was suspected of being under the influence of a “central nervous system stimulant,” a category that can include amphetamines and other drugs.
Harbour was taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital for clearance before he was transported to the Napa County Jail, according to case documents.
Napa County Jail records show he was booked into custody just before 8 p.m. Thursday and is being held without bail.
At his Monday arraignment, Harbour was ordered to return to court for entry of plea on Sept. 11, and a protective order has been put in place for the woman he injured in the carjacking.
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