10/01/13 Clarksville, TN – Drunk Driving Female At Crash Scene Steals Clarksville Patrol Car – 100 MPH Chase – Crash Into Utility Pole

October 1, 2013

tennessean.com

A woman under arrest for drunken driving allegedly stole a Clarksville Police patrol car and sped away late Saturday night, then crashed the car after a high-speed chase.

At about 10:30 p.m., a police officer responded to a crash on North Second Street, according to an arrest warrant.

The driver, Helen Botwe, smelled strongly of alcohol and had slurred speech, the warrant said. The officer asked her to step out of her car, but she denied being the driver. The passenger, who was standing outside the car when officers arrived, identified Botwe as the driver.

The officer asked Botwe, 28, to perform field sobriety tests and a breathalyzer test, and she refused, her warrant said.

Botwe was arrested on charges of DUI and implied consent. She was placed in the patrol car, and the officer went back to speak to the passenger.

The passenger picked up his hat, and it appeared he was concealing a weapon. The man was detained for further questioning, the warrant said.

While the officer was searching Botwe’s purse for identification, she managed to climb through the patrol car’s partition window and into the front seat.

She put the patrol car in gear and drove up Providence Boulevard, the report said.

Several officers pursued her on Providence and down several streets in a chase that at times exceeded 100 mph, her warrant said.

She drove up Fort Campbell Boulevard, where she crashed into the support for a utility pole at Park Lane.

After crashing, she jumped out and ran down Park Lane, the warrant said.

Botwe was additionally charged with evading arrest, reckless endangerment, auto theft, escape and criminal impersonation. She was booked into Montgomery County Jail on a $58,000 bond.

Clarksville police Chief Al Ansley went out to the scene Saturday night.

An internal investigation is ongoing, and it’s likely the officer will receive disciplinary action as well as additional training, Ansley said.