Suspected Coke Dealer Caught 'Doing Donuts' At Schools: SRPD

SANTA ROSA, CA — A suspected cocaine dealer from the East Bay was arrested Friday morning in the North Bay after he recklessly drove his pickup truck around the football fields of two Santa Rosa schools, police allege. When contacted by Santa Rosa police officers, Buck Christopher Knell Jr., 21, of Oakley, was found with a loaded gun and cocaine and told officers he was just trying to "let loose" and "have a little fun," said SRPD Sgt. Summer Gloeckner.

"He also stated that he attended both Jack London [Elementary School] and Piner High School years ago," Gloeckner said in a news release.

Officers caught up with Knell and his white Chevrolet pickup truck in the parking lot of the Raley's shopping center on Fulton Road after responding to reports of the alleged vandalism as it was taking place Friday morning.

"During the search of Knell’s person incident to his arrest, officers located a loaded revolver and cocaine," Gloeckner said. "Officers then searched the Knell’s pickup truck and located more cocaine, drug packaging materials and additional evidence of drug trafficking for sales."

Gloeckner noted that at 7:25 a.m., an off-duty police officer saw a white Chevrolet pickup truck driving around the sports fields of Jack London Elementary and was the initial caller who reported the incident to Santa Rosa police.

"The witness told dispatchers that the pickup was 'doing donuts' and 'tearing up the field,'" Gloeckner said.

As officers were responding to the elementary school, SRPD dispatchers received a similar report from another caller about a white pickup truck driving recklessly around the sports fields of Piner High.

Then, as officers headed for Piner High, another officer in the area spotted the white pickup going southbound on Fulton Road, leaving the high school. As the driver, later identified as Knell, saw the officer he pulled into the Raley's parking lot, parked and tried to walk away, Gloeckner said.

But officers quickly detained Knell, which is when they searched his person and found the alleged drugs and handgun, prompting a search of his truck.

Knell was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of two counts of felony vandalism, one count of possession of narcotics for sale, one count of transportation of cocaine, one count of being armed while dealing narcotics, and one count of an addict being in possession of a firearm.

Photos courtesy Santa Rosa Police Department