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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in California reportedly took a stolen van and led a hours-long police chase culminating with her crossing the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on the start of the week.

Auto Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

According to a police statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, 45, reported that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was stolen, along with her vehicle key. The owner, who operates two women’s sober living homes, identified the alleged thief as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“The keys were stolen out of my manager’s handbag. I arrived just as it was occurring,” Walters stated, noting that the minivan is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Several Regions

Authorities tracked the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers to the north in Simi Valley, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the chase continued into Los Angeles county. At that point, Ventura county authorities transferred the operation to the California highway patrol once Wilson merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

“This one is very unique in the sense of the traffic conditions enabling individuals to persist on the freeway and extend this pursuit,” commented a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

Wilson allegedly avoided all the spike strips tossed on the roadway by authorities, as seen in aerial videos.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The chase finally arrived at the international border by 1.30pm, leading to the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters indicated 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 concerned with the vehicle,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease aware she wasn’t hurt. The minivan is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, recognizes that the journey toward sobriety from substance abuse and trauma is not always linear.

“This represents a psychological and addiction emergency,” she said. “There is a need for additional assistance. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

“Recovery isn’t always pretty,” Walters concluded.