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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in the state of California allegedly took a stolen van and engaged in a prolonged law enforcement pursuit ending with her traveling across the border into Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

As stated in a law enforcement statement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, 45, 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 suspect as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were stolen out of my manager’s handbag. I arrived just as it was occurring,” she said, adding that the minivan is used for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials located the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers to the north in a nearby city, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson refused to stop and sped away. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the 118 freeway until the chase proceeded into LA County. At that point, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver merged onto the Interstate 405 traveling southbound.

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

Wilson reportedly avoided all the tire-deflation devices tossed on the road by authorities, as seen in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The chase finally arrived at the international border by 1.30pm, prompting the CHP to end its pursuit due to legal limitations.

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

“Ultimately, I’m not worried about the car,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease aware she was not injured. The car is easily substituted.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

The sober living home owner, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, acknowledges that the journey toward sobriety from substance abuse and emotional distress is often non-linear.

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

“The recovery process can be messy,” Walters concluded.