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A woman previously residing at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California reportedly took a stolen van and engaged in a prolonged police chase culminating with her traveling across the international boundary into Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

According to a police statement, a second woman, Nicolle Walters, 45, reported that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who operates two female recovery residences, identified the suspect as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately 60 minutes north-west of LA.

“The keys were taken from my manager’s handbag. I arrived just as it was occurring,” Walters stated, adding that the vehicle is used for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Authorities located the stolen vehicle about 12 miles north in Simi Valley, where they tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She reached speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the pursuit continued into LA County. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing drivers to continue to remain on the highway and prolong this chase,” commented a spokesperson from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

The suspect allegedly avoided all the spike strips tossed on the road by authorities, as documented in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

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

Walters indicated on Tuesday that the minivan was situated 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 relieved aware she wasn’t hurt. The minivan is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, acknowledges that the path to recovery from addiction and emotional distress is often non-linear.

“This represents a mental health and substance abuse emergency,” she said. “We need additional assistance. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

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