Search Continues for Novato Man Who Fled Police in Corte Madera Creek

After a hiatus, Marin authorities have started searching again for a Novato man who first disappeared in Corte Madera Creek earlier this week, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

Anthony Donelson, 23, was pulled over early on Monday, Dec. 24, on suspicion of drunk driving near Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and College Avenue, near the College of Marin in Ross.

Donelson, a Ross Valley native, allegedly ran down College Avenue away from officers, climbed a fence and jumped into Corte Madera Creek, which was raging after days of rain.

Officers followed Donelson, who was swimming away from them, along the creek. The officers used flashlights to keep an eye on him until they reached a point they couldn’t follow him further.

Several agencies joined in the search, using a swift-water rescue boat, until the search was called off Monday afternoon.

When the search resumed on Thursday, it seemed more like a body recovery operation, the IJ reported. A variety of local agencies, including Marin sheriff's authorities and officials from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s office, scanned the creek from Kentfield toward Larkspur and Greenbrae as they used an underwater sonar camera, according to the IJ.

The search ended Thursday at sunset with no trace of Donelson. One sheriff’s authority told the IJ the creek’s current was stronger than expected at the mouth of the creek, making it possible Donelson was carried into the bay.

Donelson, an athlete and swimmer, grew up in Fairfax and San Anselmo and graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School, according to the IJ.

He had previously been arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and has a DUI conviction and domestic battery conviction, according to the IJ.