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A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in California allegedly stole a minivan and engaged in a hours-long law enforcement pursuit culminating with her crossing the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Recovery Residence

As stated in a law enforcement statement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was missing, along with her car key. The owner, who operates two women’s sober living homes, identified the alleged thief as one of the residents at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“The keys were taken out of my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was occurring,” she said, noting that the minivan is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials located the van about 12 miles to the north in Simi Valley, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Wilson did not comply and sped away. She reached speeds of about 145km/h on the 118 freeway until the pursuit continued into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies transferred the operation to the California highway patrol once the driver merged onto the Interstate 405 heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the context of the traffic conditions enabling individuals to continue to remain on the highway and extend this pursuit,” commented a spokesperson from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

Wilson reportedly dodged all the spike strips deployed on the road by police, as documented in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit eventually reached the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, leading to the highway patrol to end its pursuit due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters stated on Tuesday that the minivan was situated in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was coordinating with the CHP to retrieve it.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the car,” Walters said. “I’m more at ease knowing she wasn’t hurt. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has operated Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, acknowledges that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and trauma is often non-linear.

“This represents a psychological and addiction emergency,” she said. “There is a need for additional assistance. It is essential to provide greater resources for those that are struggling.”

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