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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in California allegedly took a stolen van and led a prolonged police chase ending with her crossing the border into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

As stated in a law enforcement announcement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, 45, reported that her gray minivan from 2004 was missing, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who manages two female recovery residences, named the suspect as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately 60 minutes north-west of Los Angeles.

“My keys were stolen from my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” she said, adding that the minivan is used for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Unfolds Across Multiple Counties

Officials tracked the van about 12 miles north in a nearby city, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the chase continued into LA County. At that point, Ventura county authorities handed over the pursuit to the CHP once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

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

Wilson allegedly dodged all the spike strips deployed on the road by authorities, as seen in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

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

Walters stated on Tuesday that the minivan 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,” Walters remarked. “I’m relieved aware she was not injured. The minivan is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has operated the recovery residence since last October, recognizes that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and emotional distress is not always linear.

“This is a psychological and substance abuse crisis,” Walters emphasized. “We need more support. We need greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery can be messy,” Walters concluded.