Pair Held After Cross-County Aerial Chase

Two men “reeking of alcohol” stole an airplane at Oxnard airport and led a Sheriff’s Department helicopter on a wild aerobatic chase across Ventura County Friday afternoon before landing safely in the Santa Clara River bed, authorities said.

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies arrested the two men at the end of the hourlong aerial joy ride in the twin-engine Cessna 340 that landed on a dirt strip in the riverbed near Saticoy. As a sheriff’s helicopter circled, deputies arrived by car to take the men into custody.

The pilot, identified as Stephen Michael Valenti, 30, and his passenger, Barton Dean Harvey, 31, both of Oxnard, were arrested and taken to Ventura County Medical Center for a blood-alcohol test and then to County Jail.

Senior Deputy Craig Adford said both men were “reeking of alcohol” and appeared to be intoxicated.

“This was the equivalent of a stolen car joy ride with a lot of really reckless flying,” said Chris Spangenberg, a Sheriff’s Department helicopter pilot who pursued the plane from the Camarillo Airport.

Upon seeing the sheriff’s helicopter hovering above them, Valenti made a brief attempt to escape, but Harvey returned to the cockpit and drank from a 1.75-liter Popov Vodka bottle that was nearly empty, said Matthew Clapsdale, the sheriff’s paramedic who was in the helicopter.

The adventure began about 4 p.m. when Valenti and Harvey apparently hopped in the plane, which is owned by a law firm based in Bakersfield, and took off from the Oxnard Airport without clearance from the control tower, deputies said.

The Cessna’s pilot, Steve Long of Bakersfield, was inside the airport paying for fuel when he heard the tower trying to make radio contact with his plane.

“I ran out on the runway and found my plane was missing,” said Long, who had flown to Oxnard on a business trip with several lawyers.

After the seven-passenger Cessna left Oxnard, Camarillo Airport tower workers spotted it flying erratically over the city. The plane then headed toward the airport and touched down on its taxiway.

When a sheriff’s helicopter moved to block access to the runway, the plane took off again in the wrong direction, narrowly missing aluminum hangars and a helicopter preparing to take off.

The Cessna then headed inland, climbing, diving and turning until it reached Fillmore. There, it turned back toward Santa Paula, trailed by the sheriff’s helicopter.

Had the plane flown straight, the helicopter couldn’t have kept up with it, Spangenberg said.

At times, the Cessna dipped “very low” to the ground, possibly as close as 30 to 50 feet, he said.

After buzzing east Ventura, the plane headed toward the riverbed where it eventually landed.

Despite power lines and 15 to 20 m.p.h. crosswinds, the Cessna made a “beautiful landing,” the sheriff’s pilot said.

“This was not the work of an amateur pilot,” said Adford, an amateur pilot.

After the arrests, Long inspected the Cessna and flew the plane back to Oxnard Airport.

Valenti and Harvey were expected to be booked into the County Jail late Friday night on suspicion of grand theft, said Sheriff’s Lt. Paul Anderson. Valenti might also face a federal charge of piloting an airplane under the influence of alcohol, he said.