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Driver in stolen mail truck leads pursuit on I-5

Woman captured near La Center exit

By John Branton
Published: January 1, 2010, 12:00am

State troopers Thursday night captured a woman who allegedly stole a U.S. Postal Service mail truck in Portland and led officers on a 70 mph, 15-minute pursuit on Interstate 5 northbound through Vancouver to the La Center exit.

And the strangeness of the case intensified after the woman fled on foot from the mail truck and troopers caught her, said Sgt. Thomas Butsch with the Washington State Patrol.

“She tried to spit on a couple of my troopers and she won’t talk otherwise,” Butsch said.

As of 10:15 p.m. Thursday, police hadn’t managed to identify the woman, who carried no ID and was taken to the Clark County Jail.

“In the holding area, she just stood there and stared at the wall for seven minutes straight,” Butsch said. “It was really kind of strange to watch.

Police said the woman was carrying a purse worth $2,000 and a wallet worth $600, with the Nordstorm sales tags still attached.

Police originally thought the woman was a disgruntled postal employee, but no longer think so, Butsch said late Thursday night.

Officials now think the woman walked into the postal center parking lot in downtown Portland and stole the small truck, which was undergoing maintenance and had the keys in the ignition.

At 7:42 p.m., police scanners came alive with the voices of Portland police officers who said they were following the mail truck on I-5 toward Vancouver.

The driver nearly hit two pedestrians in downtown Portland and then sped north, according to preliminary reports.

Portland officers broke off their pursuit at the I-5 Bridge.

Officers with the Vancouver Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol rushed to take positions along the freeway, their engines racing and sirens wailing.

A minute later, an officer radioed he was behind the mail truck on I-5 near Northeast 78th Street northbound, in Hazel Dell, and was trying to make his way through traffic and catch up.

With the woman driving at speeds up to 70 mph, officers to the north prepared to throw tire-popping spike strips into the truck’s path.

Near the WSP truck weighing scales in Ridgefield, the woman drove over a spike strip that slowly deflated three of the truck’s tires.

About 7:55 p.m., officials said the woman had slowed down to about 30 mph and stopped, and that state troopers were chasing her on foot.

She was taken into custody at 7:57 p.m. near the La Center exit

Officials said they were aware of no collisions during the chase and no injuries.

The driver was jailed on suspicion of attempting to elude police, resisting arrest and possessing stolen property, Butsch said.

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