Novato man arrested twice in the same day on different charges, Placer deputies say

A Novato man was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of speeding through Auburn and running red lights to evade a traffic stop, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

Just after midnight Monday morning, deputies working the graveyard shift tried to make a traffic stop on a vehicle with suspended and expired vehicle registration in Auburn. The driver did not pull over and instead sped away, crossing double yellow lines.

“The pursuit spanned from Auburn to Foresthill, where a vehicle spike strip was successfully deployed to bring an end to the pursuit,” sheriff’s officials said.

The driver, identified as Kevin Grunebach, was booked into jail on suspicion of felony evading. Grunebach was released several hours after his arrest because of the emergency bail schedule during California’s coronavirus lockdown.

“Shortly after his release, Grunebach walked across the street from the Auburn Jail and confronted a citizen sitting in his vehicle. Grunebach forced open the passenger door and got into the occupied vehicle, frightening the driver,” sheriff’s officials said.

The same deputies who originally arrested Grunebach responded and arrested him again, this time on suspicion of vehicle tampering and resisting arrest.

Grunebach, 34, was released from jail again several hours later “due to the emergency bail schedule,” the Sheriff’s Office said.