A 40-year-old Red Bluff man who stuffed his girlfriend into the trunk of her car when she tried to leave him in July has been sentenced. During an argument, Mario Garcia Jr. pushed the 38-year-old victim down several times and when she tried to leave in her car, he pulled her from the driver’s seat and forced her into the trunk, then drove around with her until she convinced him to take her home. When they arrived she fled to a neighbor’s house and called 9-1-1 as Garcia went into her house. Red Bluff Police searched the home and yards but could not find Garcia. They staked out the location until Garcia returned about an hour later. When told he was being arrested he fled on foot, jumping over multiple fences and running through yards. The chase ended when he jumped one more fence and broke his ankle. After pleading guilty to two felony domestic violence charges, Garcia has been sentenced to 4 years in state prison.
-Steve Gibson