The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office has released new details in the case of a Redwood City man who allegedly drove into oncoming traffic and stole a car to evade police in Atherton last month.

Michael Andrew Silks, 36, was arraigned April 22, and a preliminary court hearing set for May 2 has been rescheduled to May 21, according to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Silks is facing charges of vehicle theft, felony evading, possession of stolen property and a parole violation, Wagstaffe said.

An Atherton police sergeant attempted to pull over Silks, who was reportedly driving his tan Toyota Corolla recklessly on El Camino Real near Encinal Avenue at 4:20 p.m. on April 18, according to police.

Silks ran red lights, drove into oncoming traffic and caused a near collision before abandoning his car in a parking lot on the 1300 block of El Camino Real, Wagstaffe said. Witnesses told police that he then jumped a fence into a neighboring construction site.

While searching Silks' car, officers learned he was on parole for burglary, and they found heroin, LSD, methamphetamine and burglary tools in the vehicle, according to Wagstaffe.

As officers were looking for Silks with a police dog, he reportedly stole a red Toyota Tacoma from a nearby construction site on the 100 block of Laurel Street in Atherton. Silks then used a credit card in the Tacoma to buy food at a taqueria in Redwood City, Wagstaffe said.

On April 19, San Mateo County sheriff's deputies spotted Silks on the 2500 block of Spring Street in Redwood City, where he was driving the same car he had abandoned the previous day, Wagstaffe said. (Atherton police Sgt. Chris Vigil said in an email that because Silks left his car on private property and it was not needed for evidence, the property owner would have had to request that it be towed.)

Sheriff's deputies attempted to stop Silks. He parked the car and took off running, but deputies found him hiding nearby and arrested him, Wagstaffe said. Deputies found the Tacoma owner's credit card in his pocket, along with a paper describing how to break into cars, Wagstaffe said.

Silks remains in custody on $75,000 bail.

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