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A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in California allegedly took a stolen van and led a hours-long police chase ending with her traveling across the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Discovered from Sober Living Home

According to a law enforcement announcement, a another female, Nicolle Walters, forty-five years old, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who manages two women’s sober living homes, identified the alleged thief as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were taken out of my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” she said, adding that the vehicle is designated for the sobriety home’s tasks.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Several Regions

Authorities tracked the van about 19 kilometers to the north in a nearby city, where they attempted 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 chase proceeded into LA County. At that point, Ventura county authorities handed over the operation to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the Interstate 405 traveling southbound.

“This one is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing drivers to continue to remain on the freeway and extend this pursuit,” said a public information officer from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

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

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath Developments

The chase eventually reached the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, leading to the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters stated on the following day that the vehicle was located 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,” Walters said. “I’m more at ease knowing 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, acknowledges that the path to recovery from substance abuse and emotional distress is not always linear.

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

“The recovery process can be messy,” Walters concluded.