Fugitive Arrested in Italy on Newport Assault Charge

A man accused of assault on a Newport Beach police officer who pulled him over on suspicion of drunken driving was arrested in Italy on Thursday, police said.

Authorities said Jeffrey Wayne Minor, 30, of Hemet fled the U.S. in February after failing to appear at an Orange County court hearing on the assault charge.

Mark Geller of the Orange County district attorney’s office said the arrest was a carefully coordinated effort by Interpol, the FBI, the U.S. Justice Department and Newport Beach police.

Extradition proceedings are underway, Geller said, and because Minor entered Italy illegally using his brother’s passport, Italian authorities could send him back to the United States within a month.

Minor faces charges of felony assault hit and run involving Newport police officer Kristen O’Donnell, who was dragged about 70 feet through a parking lot Dec. 20 after she had stopped Minor’s red 1987 Porsche. O’Donnell suffered minor cuts and bruises.

Before then, Geller said, Minor had been charged with felony drunk driving in Irvine and was on probation for a 1993 drunk driving manslaughter conviction in Riverside.

If convicted, Minor could be sentenced to up to 31 years in prison, Geller said.