The following is based on your complainant’s review of the reports of other officers and your complainant’s own investigation: On the evening of November 28, Ramsey County Sheriff deputies received an alert that a Jeep Compass was wanted for fleeing from Minneapolis Police. The driver was identified as William Charles Hamilton ([DOB REDACTED]); the passenger was identified as the defendant, DEBRA JEAN WEYAUS ([DOB REDACTED]). The defendant was also determined to have a warrant. At about 10:10pm that night, deputies saw the Jeep pull into a gas station at Marshall and Cretin Aves., St. Paul, Ramsey County.
Hamilton exited the driver’s seat and entered the store, where he was eventually taken into custody. Deputies had parked a squad in front of the Jeep. They could see a woman in the passenger seat. As they interacted with Hamilton, the woman moved into the driver’s seat. Deputies activated their emergency lights, to confirm the stop, but the woman put the Jeep in reverse and drove off southbound at high speed. Deputies pursued, now with sirens active as well. Eventually the woman extinguished the Jeep’s lights, and they were forced to discontinue the pursuit.
With the assistance of a State Patrol helicopter, deputies located the Jeep near Cretin and Stanford. The woman who had been driving was found hiding nearby. As deputies approached and directed her to stop, she fled again, now on foot. She was brought to the ground and taken into custody. She was identified as the defendant. In a Mirandized interview, the defendant said that she had fled because of the warrant for her arrest.
