Traverse City Record-Eagle

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March 13, 2012

Man who helped out woman has car stolen, police say

Man who helped out woman has car stolen, police say

TRAVERSE CITY — A woman who police said stole a car in Traverse City led authorities on a chase through multiple counties.

The Traverse City woman, 47, stole the car from a former co-worker Friday evening, Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said. She then drove it to Manistee, where she led police on a chase through Manistee County and into Mason and Oceana counties.

Michigan State Police arrested her after the chase, Morgan said.

Traverse City police said the woman saw a former co-worker while both were at the Loading Dock bar in Traverse City on Friday evening. She asked to borrow his car keys so she could sit in his car and make a phone call, Morgan said.

Police said the woman then took off with the car, and the man went home and called Traverse City police a few hours later.

A city officer entered the vehicle's information into a nationwide law enforcement information network and discovered it already had been recovered in Oceana County, Morgan said.

Manistee City Police Chief David Bachman said his officers tried to stop the vehicle in Manistee for reckless driving. He referred comment about the chase to state police.

State police in a statement said the woman refused to stop for officers, who on several occasions during the chase deployed devices to damage the vehicle's tires. She finally stopped in Oceana County.

Local authorities will request theft charges, and state police will request additional charges of receiving or concealing stolen property, fleeing and eluding, drunken driving and driving with a suspended license, state police said. The suspect was jailed in Mason County and could face those charges there.

The incident was troubling for several reasons, Morgan said.

"It's unfortunate that a person does an act of kindness ... and that the other person in turn steals property and does something extremely dangerous," he said.

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