An apparently delusional Boone woman was arrested Saturday evening after allegedly trying to outrun law enforcement.
Brittany Louise Hansen, 28, of 123 Wood St., Boone, was charged with first-offense OWI, eluding, reckless driving, excessive speed, interference with official acts, driving on
the wrong side of a two-way highway, failure to provide proof of financial liability and failure to wear safety belts.
The incident began about 4:45 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of a Jefferson gaming hall, where an Iowa State Patrol Trooper tried to initiate a traffic stop on a 2001 GMC pickup truck, driven by Hansen.
Law enforcement allegedly witnessed Hansen’s “strange driving pattern” and “attempted to check the welfare of the driver,” according to court records. Hansen stopped, and the trooper made contact with Hansen, who “was very sweaty and did not appear to be in the right state of mind.”
Hansen “ultimately did not believe the law enforcement officer was actually law enforcement and drove away from the officer,” according to court records. Hansen’s vehicle allegedly struck a parked vehicle but “did not stop and exited the parking lot while being followed by” the trooper “with lights and sirens activated,” according to court records.
A five-mile pursuit ensued northward on N Avenue (Iowa Highway 4), with the trooper and two Jefferson Police Department patrol units and two Greene County Sheriff’s office patrol units following Hansen’s pickup truck.
The speed of Hansen’s vehicle in flight ranged from about 45 mph to 70 mph, according to court records, and she “was traveling shoulder to shoulder and driving for extended periods in the left lane.”
The pursuit ended near 160th Street in rural Greene County, where Hansen’s “vehicle was contacted by the Iowa State Patrol vehicle” and brought to a stop, according to court records.
Law enforcement officers “had to break the front passenger window and assist” Hansen “out of the vehicle because she would not get out on her own accord,” according to court records.
Once detained, Hansen “was making incoherent statements that someone was going to kill her and that he was hiding under her vehicle,” according to court records. Greene County EMS was paged to examine Hansen prior to her transport to the Greene County Jail.
Hansen was held in the Greene County Jail prior to her release on her own recognizance. She is scheduled for a hearing Aug. 4 in Greene County District Court.
Hansen was convicted of first-offense OWI in 2015 in Boone County District Court. She was convicted of interference with official acts in 2015 in Boone County District Court. She was arrested June 14 in Boone on charges of felony eluding, first-offense OWI, possession of offensive weapons, possession of drug paraphernalia and passing contrary to sign or marking. The case is pending in Boone County District Court. She was arrested June 15 in Boone on a charge of interference with official acts.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
