Police Chief Jumps Back Into Trenches

Rarely does the job of police chief involve the kind of gritty, mean-streets kind of work common to patrol officers.

But, as Oxnard Police Chief Harold Hurtt proved this weekend, jumping into the fray is still part of the job description.

While on his way home from a retirement party for Port Hueneme Police Chief John Hopkins about 9:30 p.m. Friday, the 51-year-old chief charged through the darkness to assist officers in the creek-side arrest of an allegedly intoxicated and combative Oxnard man.

Police said officers had spotted a Toyota sedan running a stop sign at the intersection of Bard Road and J Street.

When police tried to stop the car, the driver sped away.

Shortly afterward, the car stopped near the Richard Bard Bubbling Springs Park in Oxnard, and the driver allegedly fled toward the dark, muddy banks of a canal.

Hurtt, who saw the action as he was driving by, joined the chase.

Shortly thereafter, 28-year-old Tony Padilla was arrested after a brief scuffle and was booked into Ventura County Jail on suspicion of drunk driving, misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest.

He remained in jail late Saturday in lieu of $2,500 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.