Police work quickly to apprehend stolen vehicle thief; one still on the run

An unknown person entered the vehicle and stole it while the victim was inside the house. Police officers arrived on scene within minutes and began to look for the stolen Ford F-350.

A Lemoore police officer saw the stolen vehicle a few minutes later traveling north on 18th Ave. approaching Jackson Ave. The officer turned around to stop the vehicle and the driver pulled into the back yard of a residence in the area. The male driver and a female passenger exited the vehicle and ran away from the officer. The female was apprehended at the scene. The male driver was not located.

The female, 30-year-old Moriah Dean Wilkerson of Visalia, was arrested for receiving a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest. The victim responded to pick up his vehicle. He saw Wilkerson in the back of a patrol car and told an officer that he saw her drive by him as he was getting out of his truck on Andy Court.

The male driver was later identified as 26-year-old Brandon Dean Hammers of Visalia and is currently wanted by the Lemoore Police Department. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Lemoore Police Department at (559) 924-9333.