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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in the state of California allegedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long law enforcement pursuit culminating with her crossing the border into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

As stated in a police statement, a another female, Nicolle Walters, 45, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her car key. The owner, who manages two women’s sober living homes, named the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at Diana’s House Sober Living, situated approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were taken from my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up just as it was happening,” she said, adding that the minivan is used for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Unfolds Across Several Regions

Officials located the stolen vehicle about 12 miles north in a nearby city, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She reached speeds of about 145km/h on the 118 freeway until the pursuit continued into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the operation to the CHP once the driver merged onto 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 chase,” commented a spokesperson from the local law enforcement agency.

The suspect reportedly avoided all the spike strips deployed on the road by police, as seen in aerial videos.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit eventually reached the international border by early afternoon, leading to the CHP to end its pursuit due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters indicated on the following day that the vehicle was situated in the Mexican city of Tijuana 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,” Walters remarked. “I’m more at ease aware she was not injured. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run the recovery residence since last October, acknowledges that the path to recovery from substance abuse and trauma is not always linear.

“This is a mental health and addiction crisis,” Walters emphasized. “There is a need for more support. It is essential to provide greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

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