Tests On Suspect In I-70 Police SUV Chase Reveal Cocaine
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4) - Police say tests show the woman accused of stealing a sheriff's department vehicle and crashing it on Interstate 70 on Sunday had alcohol and cocaine in her system.
The first deputy says she was driving only 1 or 2 mph in the middle lane of I-70 when he first stopped her near Silver Plume.
The deputy handcuffed her and put her in his jail transport SUV. But the suspect, who is not very big, managed to steal the vehicle after slipping out of her handcuffs.
"Our handcuffs are basically one size fits all. If you're of small stature -- 5-foot-5, maybe 110 pounds, our cuffs aren't necessarily going to fit you," Capt. Bruce Snelling with the Clear Creek County Sheriff's office said.
In order to get the car going the suspect crawled through a tiny window in the SUV and then went into the driver's seat.
"While the deputies were up dealing with her car and trying to get that issue sorted out they heard the engine of the transport vehicle rev up only to look over to see her driving away with one of the handcuffs dangling on her wrist," Snelling said.
A chase that reached speeds of 100 mph ensued and she wound up crashing the car near Frisco after a trooper managed to spin her out.
Clear Creek County identified the suspect as Shelby Figueroa, 18, of the Denver area, and while she doesn't have serious injuries from the crash she was certainly banged up badly, as seen in her mug shot.
Among the charges Figueroa faces are vehicular assault, theft and DUI.
