Transient Commandeers Beer Truck In Brief Santa Rosa Joyride

SANTA ROSA, CA — Police say a man went for a joyride in a beer delivery truck Thursday in Santa Rosa but did not get very far. The theft of the Coors truck was reported at 11:51 a.m. at MD Liquor in the 1900 block of Sebastopol Road. A customer at the liquor store told the beer delivery driver that "a transient male wearing American flag shorts jumped into his beer truck in the parking lot and drove off," police said.

The beer truck company had GPS on its vehicle so within minutes, Santa Rosa police were notified of the truck's location: the 300 block of Yolanda Avenue, about two and a half miles from the liquor store.

Meanwhile, dispatchers were receiving several calls from witnesses who were seeing a man running across U.S. Highway 101 wearing nothing but the red, white and blue shorts, police said.

Officers, a K-9 team and the Sonoma County sheriff's Henry-1 helicopter merged in the area where the suspect was seen running. Within 45 minutes, 46-year-old Matt Lane Hermsmeyer was found hiding in some bushes, police said.

Officers took Hermsmeyer into custody without further incident, arresting him on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, priors for auto theft, resisting arrest and violation of probation.

Sonoma County jail records showed Hermsmeyer was being held in lieu of $16,000 bail Thursday afternoon.

Police did not say whether any beer went missing from the truck during the incident.

Photos courtesy Santa Rosa Police Department

Mugshot via Sonoma County Sheriff's jail website