Sterling Heights Woman Charged After Wild Police Chase Through Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - A Sterling Heights woman who led police on a wild, televised chase Tuesday through Detroit and Hamtramck could face up to five years in prison.
Valerie Margaret Mathews, 28, was arraigned in 36th District Court Thursday on a charge of third degree fleeing and eluding
Judge Lewis Langston set bond at $50,000, 10 percent, which was posted, and Mathews was released on the condition she wear a GPS tether.
According to police, the pursuit began when officers were called to investigate a suspicious black van in the area of Gable and Stockton on Detroit's east side.
At one point, the driver sped through residential yards, driving precariously close to houses. Roughly a dozen police vehicles were involved, at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.
Mathews eventually bailed out of the van near I-75 and Caniff in Hamtramck, and a brief foot chase ensued. After Mathews tried and failed to hop a fence, she was tackled by a pair of officers, carried off to a patrol car and taken into custody.
No injuries were reported. It's unclear at this time why she fled, but reports say Matthews has a warrant out for her arrest in Ohio.
Mathews will be back in court for a probable cause conference on April 13 and a preliminary hearing on April 19.