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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in California allegedly took a stolen van and led a prolonged law enforcement pursuit ending with her traveling across the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

According to a law enforcement announcement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, 45, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, named the suspect as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately 60 minutes north-west of LA.

“My keys were stolen out of my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” Walters stated, noting that the minivan is used for the sobriety home’s tasks.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Several Regions

Officials tracked the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers north in Simi Valley, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Wilson refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the chase proceeded into Los Angeles county. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions enabling individuals to continue to remain on the freeway and extend this pursuit,” commented a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

The suspect allegedly avoided all the spike strips deployed on the road by authorities, as documented in aerial videos.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit finally arrived at the international border by 1.30pm, leading to the CHP to terminate the chase due to legal limitations.

Walters stated on the following day that the vehicle was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was working with the CHP to retrieve it.

“At the end of the day, I’m not worried about the vehicle,” she said. “I’m relieved aware she was not injured. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run the recovery residence since October 2024, acknowledges that the path to recovery from substance abuse and trauma is often non-linear.

“This represents a mental health and substance abuse emergency,” she said. “We need more support. We need more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process isn’t always pretty,” she added.