Woman leads police on low-speed pursuit
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake woman might have been under the influence of intoxicants Thursday night when she led police on a slow pursuit through Moses Lake.
About 6:45 p.m. police received a report of a woman, identified as Charlotte Albert, 50, of Moses Lake, driving erratically and stopping in the middle of East Broadway Avenue in a Honda Accord. A Moses Lake Police Department officer attempted to stop Albert after she changed lanes without signaling, but she reportedly initially failed to pull over, according to police records.
The officer attempted to stop Albert in the 900 block of North Stratford Road, but she allegedly continued driving and went across two lanes of traffic without signaling. She pulled into the Grocery Outlet parking lot and stopped. The MLPD officer reportedly opened the door to Albert’s vehicle and told her to get out. She allegedly smiled at the officer and drove away, with her speeds never exceeding 30 mph.
Albert was pursued by MLPD officers as she drove all over the road and through red several red lights. Officers were able to get in front of Albert and successfully deployed spike strips at North Grape Drive and North Central Drive. Albert continued driving on the rims of her vehicle and reportedly made several laps around a business area in the 1000 block of North Stratford Road.
“Due to the congestion of the area, and concerns about the safety of the public, officers backed off of the pursuit and Albert left the area,” stated the MLPD on Friday.
About 13 minutes later MACC Dispatch started receiving calls about Albert’s driving and officers were able to find her again, this time following her without their emergency lights on and observing her blow through stop lights and stop signs.
A trooper with the Washington State Patrol attempted three pit maneuvers, which force a vehicle to spin around, on Albert’s vehicle, the third of which was a success. During the process, Albert reportedly rammed a WSP vehicle, according to police records. Officers broke the window of Albert’s vehicle to get her out of the car and she was taken into custody in the 1600 block of West Broadway Avenue.
“(Albert) thought people were trying to take her skin off and demanded to go to the hospital,” stated a officer in police records.
Albert was booked into the Grant County Jail for second-degree assault, felony eluding, second-degree malicious mischief, hit-and-run and reckless driving. Police believe Albert was under the influence of intoxicants and a search warrant was obtained for her blood, which will be sent to the WSP crime lab for processing.