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A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California reportedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase culminating with her crossing the international boundary into Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

According to a police statement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was missing, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, named the suspect as one of the residents at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

“The keys were stolen from my house manager’s purse. I arrived just as it was occurring,” she said, adding that the minivan is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Authorities located the stolen vehicle about 12 miles north in a nearby city, where they tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the pursuit proceeded into LA County. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the CHP once the driver entered the 405 freeway heading south.

“This one is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing individuals to persist on the highway and extend this pursuit,” commented a spokesperson from the local law enforcement agency.

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

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The chase eventually reached the international border by early afternoon, leading to the CHP to end its pursuit due to legal limitations.

Walters stated on Tuesday that the minivan was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was working with the CHP to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not worried about the car,” Walters remarked. “I’m more at ease aware she was not injured. The car is easily substituted.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

Walters, who has run the recovery residence since last October, acknowledges that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and trauma is often non-linear.

“This is a mental health and addiction emergency,” Walters emphasized. “There is a need for more support. We need more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process isn’t always pretty,” she added.