Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

A Los Gatos man allegedly drove a stolen car through Meyerholz Elementary School while being chased by police. A fence surrounding the school sustained damage on both ends of the school grounds; the driver was caught after getting stuck trying to drive through the fence.

Man drives through Meyerholz School

No one hurt during early morning chase

By KEVIN FAYLE

Early in the morning of March 2, the playground of Meyerholz Elementary in San Jose became an escape route for an apparently intoxicated driver of a stolen pickup truck.

The driver, Joshua Schmitt, 27, of Los Gatos, was eventually apprehended and faces many charge from hit and run to driving while intoxicated.

Around 2 a.m., Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputy R. Duggan spotted a 2001 Chevrolet 1500 pickup nearly hit a parked car and began to follow the vehicle. When Schmit saw the officer, he allegedly began making turns in an attempt to lose him.

During one of those turns, Schmitt hit a patch of wet road while taking the curve too fast, drove over the curb and through the fence separating the elementary school from the street, according to Sgt. Mark Eastus, public information officer for the sheriff's office.

However, the chase didn't end there. Schmitt allegedly continued to drive across the school's playing field and attempted to escape through the opposite fence. This time, the truck couldn't clear the barrier, however, and the vehicle became stuck in the fence.

At this point, Schmitt allegedly ran from the vehicle. Deputy Duggan found him hiding in some bushes about 300 feet away from the playground. According to Eastus, Schmitt smelled of alcohol, but for reasons of safety, Duggan did not conduct a field sobriety test on site. Deputies transported Schmitt to the Santa Clara County Jail.

Courtesy Chevrolet reported that the vehicle Schmitt allegedly drove across the field had been stolen from their lot. Schmitt had worked at Courtesy Chevrolet until mid-February.

There were more than just tire ruts left on the field. According to Meyerholz Principal Marge Zellner, Schmitt's alleged antics also deposited a bumper on the field. Zellner says she was thankful that only minimal damage was inflicted on the school. She said the turf didn't suffer tremendously as a result of the night's unusual activity, and that the district had workers out erecting temporary barriers and warning tape the first thing the next morning.

"I'm just glad it didn't happen during the school day," she said. Zellner has instructed teachers to steer the children away from the section of the fence on Melvin Drive. "We try to keep them in fairly close, anyway," she said.

Zellner said she worries that this incident represents the trend of people disregarding school property once the children have left for the day. "Because we don't live here, we can't control what goes on at night."

People also come to the school after hours and leave litter, she said, especially teenagers. In fact, she has even had to call the police before, to remove people from the school grounds.

"We want to keep it safe here," she said. "Just the idea that people are driving carelessly through a neighborhood where there are children upsets us."

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