ST. CLAIRSVILLE - A woman taken into custody early today after she was reportedly found sleeping in a stolen vehicle managed to escape in an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser and lead area law enforcement on a search that lasted several hours.

It is not yet known where Alissa Stephens, 22, is from, but as of now, she is a resident of the Belmont County Jail and is being held on charges of theft, fleeing, obstructing official business and receiving stolen property. Lt. Roger Norris of Post 7 of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said today that Stephens was found sleeping in a 2001 Dodge Saturn in a rest area on the eastbound lane of Interstate 70 near St. Clairsville at about 12:35 a.m. today. A registration check of the vehicle revealed it had been reported stolen from Missouri, and Stephens was taken into custody and placed in the front seat of a Post 7 cruiser while troopers inspected the vehicle that had been reported stolen.

Norris said the cruiser was found at about 1:20 a.m. after Stephens drove a little more than a mile before abandoning the vehicle on U.S. 40 and fled on foot.

A helicopter from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation Section in Columbus arrived in the area to assist troopers in the search before Stephens was found at about 5:15 a.m. on U.S. 40 about 1 mile west of Ohio 331.

Norris said troopers at the scene did not pursue Stephens while she was in the cruiser because they feared motorists on I-70 may be injured. He noted that, with Stephens now in custody, the troopers made a wise decision.

"They believed she would abandon the vehicle, and that's what she did," Norris said.

"The good thing is that nothing happened traffic-wise. Things like that can escalate quickly. The didn't attempt to chase her, and in hind-sight, that's the best thing we could have done."

Norris said the incident is still under investigation, and Stephens will again be interviewed. Norris said it is likely that Stephens managed to find some kind of shelter after she abandoned the vehicle thermal imaging from the patrol's helicopter was not able to locate her. When she was again taken into custody she had managed to remove one of the handcuffs and the keys to the cruiser were in one of her pockets. She had also received scratches from running through brush.

"She may have forced it (handcuff) off or slid it off," Norris said. "We just know she only had one on. We had a helicopter here from the aviation section in Columbus that has the infrared thermal unit firemen use. She was either under something or something was shielding the helicopter's view.

 "I assume she got cold and came out because when the trooper approached her, she didn't run or anything," Norris added.

Norris said no troopers were injured in the incident and the cruiser was recovered without damage.

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