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A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California allegedly took a stolen van and led a hours-long police chase ending with her traveling across the border into Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Reported from Recovery Residence

According to a law enforcement statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, 45, 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 Alyssa Wilson at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately 60 minutes north-west of LA.

“My keys were stolen out of my manager’s handbag. I happened to pull up right when it was occurring,” she said, noting that the vehicle is used for the sobriety home’s tasks.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials located the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers to the north in Simi Valley, where they tried to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She reached speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the chase continued into Los Angeles county. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the 405 freeway traveling southbound.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the context of the road situation allowing drivers to persist on the freeway and prolong this pursuit,” commented a spokesperson from the local law enforcement agency.

The suspect allegedly avoided all the tire-deflation devices tossed on the roadway by police, as seen in footage from above.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath Developments

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

Walters stated on Tuesday that the minivan was located in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was working with the CHP to retrieve it.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the car,” Walters said. “I’m relieved knowing she wasn’t hurt. The minivan is replaceable.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

The sober living home owner, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, acknowledges that the path to recovery from substance abuse and trauma is often non-linear.

“This represents a psychological and addiction crisis,” she said. “We need additional assistance. We need more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery isn’t always pretty,” she added.