COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Columbus Police Department (CPD), with the help of several other local law enforcement agencies, arrested a Columbus woman early Sunday morning after a vehicle pursuit that reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour ended in Jackson County.
Officers tried to stop a car that was traveling with its headlights off near 5th and Washington Streets. Police say the driver, Whitney Watkins, 33, of Columbus, increased her speed while disregarding several stop signs, including briefly driving the wrong way on 10th Street.
CPD initiated a pursuit that continued south on US 31, out of Columbus, that police say reached speeds of over 100 mph. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and the Seymour Police Department all assisted in the chase. The situation ended when Watkins hit three tire deflation devices which caused her to lose control of her vehicle, and it eventually came to a stop.
Law enforcement had learned just before the chase ended that the suspect was driving a recently stolen vehicle. Watkins was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail and charged with resisting law enforcement, theft of a motor vehicle, and reckless driving.
