A Saint Paul woman climbed into the driver’s seat during a Woodbury traffic stop on October 3, 2026, and drove away while officers were speaking with the driver, according to charges.

Estrella Mirt Delgado-Espinosa, 43, of Saint Paul, faces a felony charge of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and a gross misdemeanor charge of fifth-degree drug possession.

According to the complaint, a Woodbury police officer on patrol near Century Avenue and Interstate 94 saw a vehicle drift over the center lane at least twice and found its registration was suspended.

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Delgado-Espinosa, the passenger, got out as the officer approached and was asked to return to the vehicle. After the driver was removed and was speaking with officers on the roadside, she climbed into the driver’s seat, put the vehicle in drive and fled, the complaint says. Officers pursued the vehicle, which was later found unoccupied outside a nearby residence in Maplewood. Upon arriving at the residence, officers heard a female voice yelling, “get out of my house, she is in here.”

Officers knocked on the door, and a female resident pushed Delgado-Espinosa towards them. She was arrested, and officers found a torch lighter, a metal smoking device, tinfoil and a substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl, weighing 0.10 grams, in her possession.

If convicted, Delgado-Espinosa faces a maximum penalty of three years and one day in prison for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

The complaint does not mention any prior convictions for Delgado-Espinosa.

The charges were filed on October 5, 2026, in Washington County District Court.

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Jurisdictional Context

Washington County, on the eastern edge of the Twin Cities metro, is served by the Washington County Attorney’s Office through the Tenth Judicial District. Felony cases are heard at the Washington County Government Center in Stillwater.