Driver with infant passenger eluded troopers at 112 mph in Thurston County Monday
State troopers allege an intoxicated Seattle driver with an infant passenger led them on a high speed chase in Thurston County Monday.
The driver, a 20-year-old woman, was arrested at milepost 107 of Interstate 5 in Olympia. She was then booked into the county jail on suspicion of attempting to elude pursuing police, driving under the influence, reckless driving and reckless endangerment.
The pursuit started at 7:21 p.m. Monday at I-5 milepost 97, which is south of Tumwater, according to court records filed by prosecutors. A trooper spotted the black Ford Focus approaching at about 110 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic. The trooper activated their emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver of Ford did not pull over.
“During the pursuit, the Ford displayed a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of other motorists, weaving around vehicles and reaching speeds of 112 mph,” the court records state.
At one point, troopers said the driver nearly lost control and swerved across all lanes after attempting to negotiate a curve at 100 miles per hour. A minute later, the driver nearly collided with another vehicle that was yielding to the pursuing trooper’s emergency lights.
About 7 minutes after the pursuit started, the trooper observed a can being thrown out of the passenger window of the Ford. The can sprayed liquid before hitting the ground, suggesting to the trooper that it was open before being thrown.
Two minutes later, the driver of the Ford pulled over at milepost 107 and troopers extracted and handcuffed her.
Troopers found a 2-month-old baby in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle in an unsecured child seat. They also observed a can of beer and an open container of liquor in the center console.
Troopers said the driver had difficulty following basic directions and smelled of alcohol, but she denied drinking any alcohol.
A trooper transported the woman to the Lacey Police Department to provide a breath sample, but the results were lower than troopers expected.
During an observation period, the woman allegedly admitted that she threw out a can of alcohol during the pursuit.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy approved a warrant to obtain a blood sample from the woman at about 9:21 p.m. Monday. The sample was taken about 14 minutes later and deposited into an evidence locker.
The woman attended her preliminary appearance in Superior Court on Tuesday. Judge Allyson Zipp found probable cause for the alleged crimes and released her without setting bail.
Still, Zipp set several conditions, including that the woman does not violate the law, leave the state, possess or consume alcohol, and possess or consume any controlled substances without a lawful prescription.
Court records indicate the woman has no known criminal convictions or open cases.
