San Leandro man charged in Windsor attempted ATM theft

A San Leandro man was charged Monday in what authorities described as an attempt to steal an ATM in Windsor, which was followed by an attempt to evade police that ended in a crash near Healdsburg.

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office is charging William Fletcher, 55, with attempted grand theft, evading police, drug possession, driving with a suspended license and possessing burglary tools.

He’s expected to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court Tuesday morning, according to court records.

The attempted theft happened just before 5:30 a.m. Friday in the 6300 block of Hembree Lane in the Shiloh Center shopping plaza, Windsor police said Monday.

Windsor contracts with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office for public safety services.

Fletcher and a second man, whose identity is unknown to police, are suspected of trying to use a silver Cadillac sedan and a chain to pull the ATM from the scene.

They left after several failed attempts to “rip the ATM from its fixed base,” Windsor police said.

A sheriff’s deputy spotted the Cadillac at Hembree and Victory lanes, where its driver is accused of ignoring a stop sign.

The deputy followed the Cadillac onto Old Redwood Highway and then northbound Highway 101.

Speeds reached 120 mph during the three-minute chase before the Cadillac’s driver crashed into a center median guard rail south of Healdsburg, police said.

The car’s two occupants ran away and sheriff’s deputies found Fletcher hiding in a bar on Los Amigos Road, according to Windsor police.

Jail records show he is being held at the Sonoma County jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

The second man remains at-large as of Monday afternoon.

Investigators searched the Cadillac and found an electric saw, an electric grinder, other tools and suspected methamphetamine.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi