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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in California reportedly took a stolen van and led a prolonged police chase ending with her traveling across the border into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

As stated in a police announcement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her gray minivan from 2004 was missing, along with her car key. The owner, who operates two women’s sober living homes, identified the suspect as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

“My keys were stolen from my manager’s handbag. I happened to pull up right when it was occurring,” she said, adding that the vehicle is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Several Regions

Authorities tracked the van about 19 kilometers to the north in a nearby city, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 90mph on the 118 freeway until the chase proceeded into Los Angeles county. At that point, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the Interstate 405 heading south.

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

The suspect reportedly avoided all the tire-deflation devices deployed on the road by police, as documented in aerial videos.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The pursuit finally arrived at the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, prompting the highway patrol to end its pursuit due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner indicated on the following day that the vehicle was located in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was working 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 knowing she wasn’t hurt. The minivan is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has run the recovery residence since last October, recognizes that the path to recovery from addiction and emotional distress is often non-linear.

“This represents a psychological and substance abuse crisis,” she said. “We need more support. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

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