Woman suspected in I-5 pursuit told Cowlitz deputies she took meth

A woman driving a minivan who led Cowlitz County deputies down Interstate 5 into downtown Vancouver told authorities she had taken methamphetamine.

The high-speed chase started in the neighboring county.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that a deputy tried to stop the van Thursday night when the woman fled south on the freeway. Spike strips were deployed along the way, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

When she decided to drive the wrong way on state Highway 14, deputies used the so-called PIT maneuver to stop her vehicle. At that point, the van was going on little more than wheel rims, per radio traffic.

The chase ended shortly before 8:30 p.m. The van caught on fire at some point after stopping, and firefighters responded. Traffic was temporarily impacted.

No one was injured, deputies said. “The woman said she had ingested meth,” they said.

The woman was taken back north to Cowlitz County where she was booked into jail on suspicion of felony eluding and an unrelated warrant.

There were three passengers in the van, deputies said, and one of them was also arrested for two felony warrants. The two other passengers were released.

The sheriff’s office did not identify the female driver.