Speeding Lacey DUI suspect who led deputies on chase found hiding in tree

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A DUI suspect who was caught going 95 mph led deputies and officers on a chase down roads and through the woods, where she was found hiding up a tree in the darkness.

On Sunday night, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said he was searching for a car in connection with a hit-and-run in Lacey.

He was on Martin Way East in Lacey, along with deputies and Lacey officers, when he clocked a black sedan going 95 mph in a 40 mph zone.

“Based on the time of night on a holiday weekend, lane travel, and excessive speed, a pursuit was initiated for suspicion of DUI,” Sanders said in a Facebook post.

Sanders and a deputy chased the car into a wooded area off Sleater-Kinney Road Northeast, where the driver got out of the car and ran.

Lacey officers help set up a boundary around the area and the sheriff’s office’s K-9 Bowie and his handler were called in to help.

Sanders said they soon discovered the black sedan was stolen. While looking into the car’s windows, he was able to see a short-barreled AR-15 rifle near the center console.

Once the police dog arrived, it tracked the driver, who was found hiding in a tree.

Body cam video showed a woman standing on a tree branch in the darkness, illuminated by only deputies’ flashlights.

She was ordered to come down and was arrested.

Later, a Glock handgun was found on the floorboard, and drug paraphernalia was scattered throughout the car.

Sanders said the serial number on the AR-15 had been scratched off.

The woman may face charges of trying to flee from officers, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen car, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

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