A man who crashed a stolen vehicle into a power pole on the north side of the highway across from Walmart in Yucca Valley in the early hours Saturday is responsible for a power outage that affected parts of the Morongo Basin. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Mike Landavazo, about 12:30 a.m., Gregorio Apodaca, 32, of Palm Springs, stole his girlfriend’s vehicle and started doing donuts in the dirt median between the highway and Paxton-Outer Highway North when he lost control and the vehicle crashed into a power pole. The vehicle burst into flames, and Apodaca fled the scene of the crash. Firefighters were able to douse the vehicle fire within minutes. Power was out for hours from Morongo Valley to Joshua Tree. Deputies pursued Apodaca, and he was captured in the 6400 block of Camarilla Avenue. Gregorio Apodaca was arrested for investigation of robbery, booked at the Morongo Basin Jail, with his bail set at $100,000.
