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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in California reportedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase ending with her traveling across the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Discovered from Sober Living Home

According to a police statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was missing, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, named the alleged thief as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

“My keys were taken out of my manager’s handbag. I arrived just as it was happening,” Walters stated, noting that the vehicle is used for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Several Regions

Officials located the van about 19 kilometers to the north in Simi Valley, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson did not comply and sped away. She attained speeds of about 90mph on the 118 freeway until the pursuit proceeded into LA County. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities handed over the pursuit to the CHP once Wilson entered the 405 freeway heading south.

“This one is particularly unusual in the sense of the road situation enabling individuals to continue to remain on the highway and extend this chase,” commented a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

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

International Getaway and Aftermath

The chase eventually reached the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, prompting the CHP to end its pursuit due to legal limitations.

The vehicle owner stated on the following day that the vehicle was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was coordinating with the CHP to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not worried about the vehicle,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease aware she was not injured. The minivan is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has operated the recovery residence since October 2024, acknowledges that the path to recovery from substance abuse and trauma is not always linear.

“This is a mental health and substance abuse emergency,” she said. “There is a need for more support. We need more resources for those that are struggling.”

“Recovery can be messy,” Walters concluded.