Arson Suspect Arrested In St. Helena Following Vehicle Chase

ST. HELENA, CA — An arson suspect was arrested on Saturday after leading police in a hot pursuit from Calistoga into St. Helena, closing part of state Highway 29 for hours, the St. Helena chief of police said.

During the pursuit, the suspect blew all four tires on a spike strip, forcing him to stop, and then remained barricaded in his car, said Police Chief Chris Hartley.

Henry Robert Harvey, 43, of Vallejo, was arrested around 10 a.m. and booked into Napa County Jail on suspicion of offenses including felony evasion and resisting officers, plus an outstanding warrant for felony arson, according to Hartley in a phone interview.

The pursuit caused state Highway 29 to be closed for hours in the vicinity of Deer Park Road on Saturday morning. The roadway reopened around 10 a.m.

The case started in Calistoga when officers responded to a report of a man suspected of doing drugs in his car, Hartley said.

"When officers approached, he refused to identify himself, rolled up his window and drove away," Harvey said.

"I got the call at 7:50 a.m. that Calistoga was in a pursuit toward St. Helena, and St. Helena officers had set up a spike strip to stop the suspect," Hartley said.

The police chief hastened to the scene on Highway 29 immediately, he said.

After hitting the spike strip, with all four tires flattened, Harvey pulled to the side of the road, but refused to leave his car, Hartley said.

Officers noted that during the chase, the suspect had a Belgian Malinois, a breed of medium-sized herding dog, in the car with him, Hartley said.

"Once the vehicle was spike-stripped, it's considered a barricaded suspect. We didn't know if there were weapons in the vehicle," Hartley said.

St. Helena police asked the California Highway Patrol to shut down the highway at that point, he said.

After running a check on the car's license plates, police determined that the car's owner had a felony warrant for arson, Hartley said.

Police had the Napa County Sheriff's Department deploy a drone, the chief said, to get a better look at the suspect, who still allegedly refused to get out of the car.

At that point, police deployed pepper balls, according to Hartley. These are projectiles containing a powdered chemical that irritates the eyes and nose similarly to pepper spray.

Harvey still didn't leave the car, the chief said, "This whole time we're asking him to get out through the PA system. The freeway has been shut down. We had to do something," Hartley said.

At that point, an officer moved forward with a ballistic shield for protection. He broke the driver's side window to make entry inside, the chief said.

Police allege Harvey fought with them. The officers tasered him and pulled him from his vehicle before he was taken into custody without further incident, Hartley said. Police rendered first aid to the suspect, the chief said.

The suspect sustained an abrasion to his cheek and the officer cut his hand reaching into the car through the broken window to unlock it, Hartley said.

The dog, who had been in the car throughout the ordeal, is now at the Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, Hartley said.

"I can't believe he put his dog through that," the chief said. "That is the real heartbreaker."

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