A 45-year-old woman was caught in Emery County after leading troopers on a long chase, reaching speeds of up to 130 mph and causing an interstate closure.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling I-70 near milepost 158 in Emery County shortly before 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, when he noticed a westbound car speeding at 120 mph. The trooper turned on his emergency lights and siren.
Several miles later, near milepost 141, the trooper caught up to the vehicle. According to official documentation, the suspect, later identified as Annamae Cabalsa Martinez, observed the patrol vehicle attempting to stop her and fled at 95 mph. At milepost 140, Martinez reportedly accelerated to 130 mph. An helping trooper attempted to deploy tire spikes at milepost 131 but failed.
Troopers were subsequently informed that additional first responders would be stationed with spikes at milepost 62. As the pursuit approached, Martinez’s vehicle collided with a tire spike strip, causing the left front tire to lose air and forcing her to pull over on the side of the freeway. Traffic was subsequently stopped down, and many troopers conducted a high-risk stop.
Martinez allegedly refused to exit her vehicle or roll down her window. Troopers called out to her over a loudspeaker, but she did not react. Authorities say the standoff lasted 40 minutes.
Martinez phoned AAA to have her tire fixed. AAA contacted Emery County Sheriff’s dispatch and gave her phone number. A trooper made contact with Martinez over the phone and persuaded her to exit the vehicle.
Martinez was arrested and put into Emery County Jail on one count of third-degree felony failure to stop at the instruction of law authorities and one Class B misdemeanor reckless driving.
