A Peoria woman is in the county jail after being detained in the back of a Bartonville Police vehicle and then allegedly stealing it.
Police were called around 5:45 p.m. Thursday to the area of Madison Street and Colona Avenue in Bartonville for a truck driving at a high rate of speed. The truck was seen by officers doing so before it reportedly crashed in the alley between Madison and Monroe streets, police said.
The driver, identified as 30-year-old Brittany M. Potter, was detained, who then said the truck had crashed on top of someone.
Potter was put in a squad car. Police checked underneath the truck for a victim, giving Potter time to climb through the cage partition and flee in the squad car, police said.
The squad car was seen parked in the 100 block of Birch Street, unoccupied and undamaged. Officers were told Potter was seen walking in the 100 block of Lawndale, fleeing into the woods when officers arrived.
A K-9 track eventually led to Cherry Street, where officers were told by two people who were not aware of the situation that they saw Potter leave the woods and gave her a ride to an address in Peoria.
Peoria Police went to that address and took Potter into custody.
She was booked into the jail on charges of motor vehicle theft, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, obstructing justice, theft, driving while license suspended and eight total active warrants across four counties – McLean, Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford.
Bartonville Police thanked the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, Peoria Police, Illinois State Police and the East Peoria Police Department K-9 for their assistance.
