Bradford, Vt.
Police accuse Jessica Turner, of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, of hitting speeds of 100 mph as she drove a 2012 Toyota Prius southbound from the Vermont towns of Barnet to Bradford, more than 30 miles.
Turner was traveling south on Route 5 in the Barnet village of Passumpsic around 9 a.m. on Thursday when she allegedly tried to pass several vehicles on a corner and “nearly struck head on” a vehicle driven by a Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department warden, according to a news release from Vermont State Police.
Authorities said she refused to stop for the warden, leading to the high-speed chase through Barnet, Ryegate, Wells River, Newbury and Bradford, and involving assistance from state police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Bradford Police Department.
Police said Turner was stopped from traveling any farther at the junction of routes 25 and 25B in Bradford. She allegedly backed into and damaged a state police cruiser before she was taken into custody.
Turner faces charges of attempting to elude, gross negligent operation, excessive speed and unlawful mischief, according to the release. She also faces charges related to an alleged retail theft earlier in the day, when police said she is suspected of driving away without paying for gas in West Burke, Vt.
