Yesterday’s Truck-Over-Roadside Incident on Highway 18 Was Staged; CHP Issues Felony Arrests

In newscasts yesterday afternoon (September 3), we told you about a vehicle that had gone over the side of the road on Highway 18 en route to Lucerne Valley, an incident that prompted ambulance and California Highway Patrol response. We have since learned that this was a “staged collision” and, per the CHP today, has resulted in three felony arrests. Just before 2pm on Thursday, emergency personnel were dispatched to an area just south of Cactus Flats on Highway 18. CHP officers Paul Adamson and Alfredo Chen determined the incident was an intentional act staged to look like a collision; the subjects at the scene had pushed the white Toyota pickup over the side of the mountain, and then called 911 to report a collision with injuries. Those involved in this incident, 28-year-old Brandy Barbee and 33-year-old Paul Dunkoe, Jr., both of Amarillo, Texas, were arrested on charges of conspiracy, felony vandalism, falsely reporting an emergency, and providing false information to peace officers. A third individual, 24-year-old Katherine Lipscomb of Apple Valley, was also arrested for conspiracy and vandalism.