Grass Valley Police Track Suspected Prowler Using His Footprints In The Snow
GRASS VALLEY (CBS13) - Grass Valley police are searching for a man they say spent hours early Saturday morning prowling through the streets of the city.
"That's pretty, pretty creepy," said Sarah Russo, who was visiting Grass Valley.
For several hours Friday night into Saturday morning, police say a man was looking for trouble in downtown neighborhoods.
"It made me a little nervous I'm usually pretty confident walking around exploring but this will have be home in my room early tonight," said Russo.
The suspect, Cory Goacher, is a known offender to police.
"He was his own worst enemy that night," said Sgt. Brian Blakemore with the Grass Valley Police Department.
He says Goacher is wanted for previous crimes. He was spotted earlier in the night.
"We tried to detain him at that point by calling out for him. He fled," said Blakemore.
Goacher lost his shoes as he took off from police. They say he stole another pair of shoes while on the run.
Around 3 a.m., Goacher surfaced again. This time near Main Street.
"The resident at the time said her and her boyfriend scared away a potential burglar from their house and were requesting police assistance," said Blakemore.
When police arrived they didn't find Goacher, but rather a telling clue.
"Due to the fresh snow we located a pair of tracks that could be no one else's but the suspects," said Blakemore.
The two officers followed the snow tracks through tough terrain for roughly six miles.
"He ended up going all the way down this road. Circling businesses parking lots and other residences," said Blakemore.
Police say they lost Goacher's tracks several times during the chase. Including one time when he was jumping through a tractor yard, but they were able to pick those tracks back up when he crossed Main Street and continued running.
"Wow, that's amazing tracking," said Russo.
Police followed the footprints and picked up video surveillance of Goacher at a gas station and CVS.
"Based on the tenacity of our guys, they were able to pick the trail back up," said Blakemore.
Police say Goacher is still on the run. He's facing charges of prowling and attempted burglary.
