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A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California reportedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long law enforcement pursuit culminating with her crossing the border into Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Recovery Residence

According to a police announcement, a another female, Nicolle Walters, forty-five years old, notified authorities that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was missing, along with her car key. Walters, who operates 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 Los Angeles.

“The keys were taken out of my house manager’s purse. I arrived just as it was occurring,” she said, adding that the minivan is used for the sobriety home’s tasks.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials tracked the van about 19 kilometers to the north in Simi Valley, where they tried to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She reached speeds of about 90mph on the 118 freeway until the pursuit proceeded into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway traveling southbound.

“This one is very unique in the context of the traffic conditions enabling individuals to continue to remain on the freeway and extend this pursuit,” commented a public information officer from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

Wilson allegedly avoided all the tire-deflation devices deployed on the roadway by authorities, as documented in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The pursuit eventually reached the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, prompting the CHP to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner stated on Tuesday that the vehicle was situated in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was working with the authorities to recover the vehicle.

“Ultimately, I’m not concerned with the car,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease aware she wasn’t hurt. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, recognizes that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and emotional distress is not always linear.

“This represents a mental health and addiction emergency,” she said. “There is a need for more support. We need greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery can be messy,” Walters concluded.