High-speed chase through Kremmling ends in crash on Rabbit Ears Pass

Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add the charges the suspect will face.
On Jan. 17, a woman who was allegedly attempting to sell stolen tools in Kremmling was hospitalized after leading officers on a high-speed chase.
At about 2:20 p.m., the Grand County Sheriff’s Office office received a call from a resident and general contractor who was working on a job site near Kremmling when he was approached by a woman attempting to sell tools, according to a news release.
The contractor suspected the tools were stolen and that the woman was under the influence of an unknown substance, prompting him to contact authorities and give them her license plate number, according to the release.
The vehicle was located in a Dollar General parking lot in Kremmling, and deputies and a Kremmling police officer “attempted to contact the female occupant,” the release states.
The suspect then fled from the parking lot in her car, nearly hitting a sheriff’s patrol vehicle as she accelerated onto U.S. Highway 40, running a stop sign and a red light, and “completely disregarding the safety for any oncoming traffic,” the release stated.
The woman fled westbound on U.S. 40 at varying speeds of about 75-90 mph as she ignored law enforcement’s emergency lights and sirens, the release stated. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle by using devices to deflate the tires but were unsuccessful.
When the woman reached mile post 145 on Rabbit Ears Pass, she attempted to take a sharp curve at a high rate of speed, lost control and crashed into a snowbank, according to the release.
Following the crash, a drug-detection dog searched the vehicle, finding evidence of methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin, according to the release.
The woman — identified as a 35-year-old from Denver — was initially taken to the hospital for evaluation. The suspect was then booked into Grand County Jail on Saturday with the following charges: vehicular eluding, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, possession of drug paraphernalia and drove vehicle while under the influence of drugs, according to a news release from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office. She also is charged with failure to provide proof of insurance, a vehicle registration violation and window tint violation.

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