A multi-agency pursuit that began in Mason County came to an end Thursday night in Lewis County after a Washington State Patrol (WSP) SWAT team removed a barricaded subject from inside her disabled sedan following a hours-long stalemate on Interstate 5.
According to WSP, both directions of I-5 were blocked for five hours.
Troopers said the chase began in Mason County shortly before 6 p.m. April 2 after deputies tried to pull over a 2005 Acura RL driven by Heidi R. Presson, 51, of Hoodsport.
Presson allegedly fled into Thurston County, where county deputies began to pursue, and then continued southbound on I-5 into Lewis County.
At that point, WSP troopers took over the pursuit and successfully spiked the Acura’s tires near milepost 71 south of Chehalis, according to a WSP news release.
“The vehicle continued for approximately two miles before striking a Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) sign along the right shoulder of southbound I-5 near milepost 69, which ultimately disabled the vehicle,” WSP said.
The state patrol’s incident report stated the totaled Acura “came to rest in lanes one and two” of southbound I-5 near U.S. Highway 12.
According to WSP, Presson allegedly refused to exit the car, becoming a barricaded subject. The state patrol’s SWAT team responded, and all lanes were closed “to ensure public safety.”
The stalemate lasted for “several hours,” the state patrol said, before Presson was ultimately apprehended and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital.
Just before 11:30 p.m., WSDOT sent out an alert indicating both directions of I-5 had opened.
Presson faces potential charges of felony eluding, reckless driving, hit-and-run unattended, resisting arrest, obstruction and disorderly conduct, according to WSP.
The state agency, which is leading the active investigation, noted that drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident.
