A Brainerd woman drove off in a man’s car after leaving a bar with him early Nov. 1, then pulled away from an officer who reached 90 mph trying to catch up, according to the complaint.
Jacobi Latrese Bradley, 26, is charged in Crow Wing County District Court with felony motor vehicle theft and felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. She also faces misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree driving while impaired and theft. The complaint was filed Nov. 3.
According to the complaint, Brainerd police got a call at about 2 a.m. from a man who said a woman he had brought home from a bar had taken his car and the cash from his wallet. He told an officer he came back to find her gone along with his key fob and all of his cash. He said he had offered to pay for a taxi to take her home because he could not drive. When he went outside, his car was gone too. He told police he did not give her permission to take it.
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An officer soon saw the car on Mill Avenue going about 50 mph in a 30 mph zone and crossing the center line. After confirming the license plate, he turned on his emergency lights and turned around. The driver sped up, the complaint says. The officer reached speeds of up to 90 mph but the gap kept growing, so he turned off his lights and slowed down. He last saw the car turn west onto Washington Street.
Farther along Washington Street, the officer found the car off the road near North 10th Street. The driver’s door opened as he pulled up. He arrested the driver, identified as Bradley.
After a Miranda warning, Bradley told the officer the man had paid her to “take the car and keep going.” She said she saw the officer’s lights and decided she needed to pull over. She also said the “wad of twenties” in her purse was the man’s cash and that he had told her to take it.
The officer smelled alcohol and saw that Bradley had bloodshot, watery eyes. She admitted drinking, possibly more than she should have to drive. Field sobriety tests showed signs of impairment. A preliminary breath test showed an alcohol concentration of 0.17. A breath test at 3:34 a.m. measured 0.15.
Officers found $220 in $20 bills in her bag and on her person. A plastic grocery bag she carried from the car held two tax return documents and other papers with the man’s identifying information. The man later told police the items were from his car.
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