Lake County deputies investigating shooting of wanted man by bail bondsmen

A wanted Lake County man remained at large Wednesday, four days after bail bondsmen shot at him outside a home as he stole their car, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.

Saturday’s incident appears to be unprecedented in Lake County. Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said he can’t remember a similar case in his time on the force.

“I’ve been here 24 years and I can’t remember an incident where we’ve had bail bondsmen involved in a shooting,” he said.

The bail bondsmen were working for Sacramento-based Greg Padilla Bonds, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Calls to the bail bonds agency about the incident weren’t returned by late Wednesday afternoon.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said detectives are investigating why the agents fired, including if they’d faced a threat from the man.

“I definitely have a concern about bail agents discharging firearms in our community,” Martin said. “Gunfire in your community in that type of situation, in any type of situation, is something to be ?concerned about.”

The four agents attempted to take into custody Gregory Crumpler, 40, after tracking him to his rural Lower Lake home in the 17000 block of Morgan Valley Road, Paulich said. Located down a dirt driveway, the home was about 100 yards from other homes, Paulich said.

Crumpler had skipped out on his bail obligations involving an arrest for suspected drug sales in Mendocino County, Paulich said.

As the bondsmen approached, Crumpler ran, jumping into a Honda SUV belonging to one of them. Finding the keys inside, Crumpler then began to drive away, Paulich said.

Detectives suspect as many as two agents fired handguns, shooting six times, each bullet hitting the SUV, the?lieutenant said.

The agents called authorities about 12:30 p.m. Saturday to report the gunfire and missing man. Deputies found the bullet-riddled SUV 3 miles away, parked on private property off secluded Oak Haven Road.

In addition to shattered windows there were a few blood smears inside, but whether the man had been struck by gunfire or cut from broken glass wasn’t known, Paulich said.

An unsuccessful search in the remote area lasted several hours Saturday and included deputies from Lake and Napa counties aided by at least two police dogs.

Bail bondsmen have legal powers to take people into custody but aren’t law enforcement officers.

“Anyone can protect themselves against danger,” Paulich said.

The Sheriff’s Office hopes to complete its investigation into the shooting by the end of the week or early next week, Paulich said. He said the bondsmen had permits to carry their guns and are cooperating fully with the investigation.

Detectives will pass on findings to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for a decision on whether the gunfire was legal, Paulich said.

Anyone with information on Crumpler’s whereabouts should contact sheriff’s dispatchers at 707-263-2690.

Staff Writer Andrew Beale contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.