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A woman previously residing at a female recovery facility in the state of California reportedly took a stolen van and engaged in a hours-long law enforcement pursuit ending with her crossing the international boundary into Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Discovered from Sober Living Home

As stated in a law enforcement statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, identified the suspect as one of the residents at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were stolen out of my manager’s handbag. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” she said, adding that the minivan is used for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials located the van about 12 miles to the north in Simi Valley, where they tried to initiate a traffic stop, but Wilson did not comply and sped away. She attained speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the pursuit continued into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once Wilson entered the Interstate 405 heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the sense of the road situation allowing drivers to continue to remain on the highway and extend this chase,” commented a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

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

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit finally arrived at the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, prompting the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

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

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the car,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease knowing she was not injured. The minivan is easily substituted.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

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 not always linear.

“This is a psychological and addiction crisis,” she said. “We need more support. We need more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process can be messy,” she added.