CLINTON, Iowa- A 20-year-old woman called the police saying her car had been stolen, while running from police, in an attempt to trick them into thinking she wasn't the one driving her car during the chase. It did not end well...
According to Clinton County Sherrif Rick Lincoln, on August 13, around 10:38 a.m. a deputy sheriff was on patrol on Highway 30 near Mill Creek Parkway in Clinton.
The deputy clocked an Eastbound vehicle on radar exceeding the speed limit.
When the deputy attempted to perform a traffic stop on the speeder, the driver sped off and ran a red light before pulling into a parking lot. The driver then exited the parking lot and fled westbound on Lincolnway Highway 30.
While the pursuit was in progress, Clinton County Communications received a 911 call from a Rachel Thornburg stating that her car had just been stolen from Low Moor. She claimed that she had left the keys in the car which was a 1998 grey Buick Century. This was the same vehicle that the deputy sheriff was pursuing.
The pursuit went through Low Moor where the driver ran the stop and then through Folletts where the driver ran another stop sign at 380th Ave at Highway 67. The pursuit continued across the Wapsi River into Scott County.
Le Claire Police attempted to stop the car by deploying Stop Sticks but were unsuccessful.
Eventually, the Iowa State Patrol was able to successfully deploy Stop Sticks that flattened the tires of the Buick.
The pursuit ended at 11:29 a.m. on Middle Road just north of Interstate 80 in Scott County.
The driver was none other than Rachel Thornburg 20, and she was taken into custody.
Thornburg was charged with:
- Eluding
- Driving While License Under Suspension
- Reckless Driving
- Speeding > 55 (21 or More)
She remains in custody at the Clinton County Jail under $2,000 bond.
