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A woman previously residing at a women’s sobriety home in California allegedly took a stolen van and engaged in a hours-long police chase ending with her traveling across the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

According to a law enforcement statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was missing, along with her car key. Walters, who manages two women’s sober living homes, named the alleged thief as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately 60 minutes north-west of Los Angeles.

“The keys were taken out of my manager’s handbag. I arrived just as it was occurring,” she said, noting that the vehicle is used for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials tracked the stolen vehicle about 12 miles north in a nearby city, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect did not comply and sped away. She reached speeds of about 145km/h on the 118 freeway until the chase proceeded into LA County. At that point, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the CHP once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing individuals to continue to remain on the highway and prolong this pursuit,” said a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

The suspect reportedly dodged all the spike strips tossed on the roadway by authorities, as documented in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The pursuit eventually reached the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, prompting the CHP to end its pursuit due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters stated on Tuesday that the vehicle was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was coordinating with the authorities to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not worried about the car,” she said. “I’m relieved aware she wasn’t hurt. The car is replaceable.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

The sober living home owner, who has operated Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, recognizes that the path to recovery from substance abuse and trauma is often non-linear.

“This represents a mental health and substance abuse crisis,” Walters emphasized. “There is a need for additional assistance. It is essential to provide more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process isn’t always pretty,” Walters concluded.