Speeding Lacey DUI suspect who led deputies on chase found hiding in tree
By: A DUI suspect who was caught going 95 mph led deputies and officers on a chase down roads and through the woods, where she was found hiding up a tree in the darkness.
On Sunday night, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said he was searching for a car in connection with a hit-and-run in Lacey.
He was on Martin Way East in Lacey, along with deputies and Lacey officers, when he clocked a sedan going 95 mph in a 40 mph zone.
“Based on the time of night on a holiday weekend, lane travel, and excessive speed, a pursuit was initiated for suspicion of DUI,” Sanders said in a Facebook post.
Sanders and a deputy chased the car into a wooded area off Sleater-Kinney Road Northeast, where the driver got out of the car and ran.
Lacey officers help set up a boundary around the area, and the sheriff’s office’s K-9 Bowie and his handler were called in to help.
Sanders said they soon discovered the sedan was stolen. While looking into the car’s windows, he was able to see a short-barreled AR-15 rifle near the center console.
Once the police dog arrived, it tracked the driver, who was found hiding in a tree.
Body cam video showed a woman standing on a tree branch in the darkness, illuminated by only deputies’ flashlights.
She was ordered to come down and was arrested.
Later, a Glock handgun was found on the floorboard, and drug paraphernalia was scattered throughout the car.
Sanders said the serial number on the AR-15 had been scratched off.
The woman may face charges of trying to flee from officers, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen car, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.