Police: Man arrested after driving backward in Sebastopol

A 20-year-old Santa Rosa man who was on probation for a drug conviction was arrested Tuesday morning after witnesses reported seeing him drive a car backward on Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol police said.

Dylan Robert Stables reportedly told police the transmission on his car had failed and he was forced to drive backward. Police said Stables was heading north at about 9:40 a.m. in the northbound lane of Gravenstein Highway while facing southbound.

Stables was stopped by Sebastopol Police Officer David Harston on Abbott Avenue, and a records check showed he was on probation for misdemeanor drug and stolen property offenses. A search of his vehicle turned up credit cards in two different names. Police said Stables admitted he had used at least one of the cards in Santa Rosa earlier.

Police said the owners of the cards were located and they confirmed that the cards were stolen. Stables was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of identity theft and violation of probation. His bail was set at $23,000. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday on four different cases, according to court records.

You can reach Staff Writer Elizabeth M. Cosin at 521-5276 or elizabeth.cosin@pressdemocrat.com.