High-speed chase sparks investigation

Investigators have two weeks to uncover more about a man and a woman captured last Thursday after a high-speed chase.

The couple, believed to be Nicole Rhiley, 29, and Kenneth Cadwallader, 38, eluded law enforcement agencies for more than an hour, crossing the state line twice before being captured on foot off a dirt road near Monitor Pass. Each was charged with five crimes - including child endangerment - at their arraignments Monday in El Dorado County Superior Court.

The defendants will be represented by court-appointed attorneys at preliminary hearings set for Aug. 9. El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Jerald Lasarow set bail for each at $250,000.

The couple gave false names and identification to law enforcement officials when arrested.

"I don't really think we have a true understanding of who they are or where they have been," said Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe.

Fingerprints have been entered into a national database to determine if the pair is wanted for other crimes. Authorities expect to have that information later this week, Uthe said.

Fingerprints have already revealed Rhiley has warrants for her arrest in Arizona for phony IDs, forging checks and robbery.

Law enforcement found multiple identification cards for both Rhiley and Cadwallader at the time of arrest.

The couple is charged with commercial burglary, aggravated assault, intent to evade the police and child endangerment. They could face a maximum of 21 years in prison and up to $40,000 in fines if convicted.

Cadwallader could face an extra year for use of a deadly weapon, which was the stolen Toyota Tacoma he allegedly used to try to run over a Staples store manager.

The couple claims the 10-year-old girl who was with them during the chase is their daughter, Uthe said. Since the arrest, the girl has been in protective custody in South Lake Tahoe.

No charges have been filed in Nevada, Uthe said.