Suspect sends vehicle careening into Lake Elsinore during early morning domestic dispute

Underwater vehicle search and recovery operation needed 
after suspect purposefully sends vehicle careening into Lake Elsinore 

Written by Trevor Montgomery

For hemeteyenews.com

Lake Elsinore, Calif.; On September 27, 2015, a man was arrested after he purposely sent his girlfriend's rental vehicle careening down a road before it splashed into Lake Elsinore and sunk beneath the water.

A press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department explained how on Sunday morning at approximately 6:24 a.m., deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Lake Elsinore Police Station were dispatched to the area of East Lakeshore Drive and Townsend Street regarding the report of a vehicle that had been observed leaving the designated roadway before entering the water of Lake Elsinore. The vehicle was last seen sinking under the water.

Responding deputies arrived approximately two minutes later and began searching the area for the vehicle. Although a thorough search of the area and of the lake itself was conducted the vehicle could not be located due to the lighting conditions and the depth of the lake in that particular area.

During the course of their investigation, deputies learned about a domestic dispute that had been occurring at a nearby residence, both the night before as well as the morning of the incident. The deputies investigation revealed the incident began the previous evening and ended when the suspect, later identified as Lyle Joseph Howard and described as a 28-year-old transient, took his girlfriend's rental car overnight without her permission.

Upon returning to the residence the next morning, Howard and the victim continued their ongoing dispute. In response to their fighting, Howard got into the rental vehicle he had taken without permission from the previous evening, placed the vehicle into drive and sent the unoccupied vehicle careening down the roadway and into the water of nearby Lake Elsinore. Once in the water, the vehicle immediately sunk below the water, becoming fully submerged.

At 7:15 a.m., when it had become bright enough to safely search the water of Lake Elsinore, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Underwater Search and Rescue team was contacted. Divers later discovered where the vehicle was later located, unoccupied and submerged under approximately seven feet of water. The vehicle was subsequently recovered from the lake without further incident. 

Based on interviews with all parties involved, Howard was arrested for vehicle theft and vandalism with over $400 in damages, both felonies. Howard was later booked at the Southwest Detention Center and was being held on $5,000 bail. In a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Ken Chaffin urged anyone with additional information regarding this incident to call Riverside County Sheriff's dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or the Lake Elsinore Police Department at (951) 245-3300. Callers can refer to incident file number L15270018.

Contact the writer: trevor.hemeteyenews@gmail.com