Posted: 5:39 p.m. EST March 23, 2004
BELMONT COUNTY, OHIO --
Belmont County Ohio Patrol
troopers caught a St. Louis,
Missouri, woman suspected of
stealing a car Tuesday morning, but
just moments after the arrest she
drove away with another stolen
vehicle - a patrol cruiser!
The Missouri woman was actually
able to maneuver herself into the
driver's seat while troopers had
their backs turned. She got away, but troopers found here a few
hours later.
Alissa Stephens, 22, was arraigned in Belmont County for the
heist Tuesday afternoon. She now faces charges of unauthorized
use of a motor vehicle and fleeing and alluding a police officer.
It all began just after midnight Tuesday. A trooper routinely
checking license plates at a Belmont County rest stop realized
one car was reported stolen from St. Louis. The trooper
approached the car and saw a woman sleeping inside. Officers
arrested Stephens, cuffed her, and put her in the front passenger
seat of the cruiser. Officers say the vehicle was not equipped
with a restraining cage separating the back and front seats.
Troopers say they then left Stephens alone in the car while they
took inventory of evidence at the scene. That's when they say
she was able to wiggle free. "The suspect apparently unlatched
the safety belt and was able to get the cuffs down underneath
her feet and get the cuffs in front of her. She was a small
individual, maybe 100 pounds," said St. Clairsville Highway Patrol
Post Commander Roger Norris.
Norris says Stephens then slid behind the wheel, and she was
able to speed away. Norris says troopers did not speed after her
in hopes she would abandon the car. Troopers were right. She
eventually dropped off the patrol car in St. Clairsville. The
Highway Patrol then called in a helicopter from Columbus to help
find her from the air. A few hours later, around 5:00 a.m., a
trooper driving on Route 40 spotted her walking near Ohio
University Eastern. That's when she was arrested for a second
time.
If convicted, Stephens could face up to a year in prison, $2,000
in fines and a year's license suspension.
From the Belmont County Newsroom, Jill Del Greco, News 9.