A woman faces felony charges after she allegedly led state troopers on a high speed chase with a child in her car and hit a Fraser Winter Park police cruiser.
Colorado State Patrol first spotted a vehicle driven by a woman speeding on Feb. 2 along US Highway 40 outside Winter Park, according to the arrest affidavit. The driver was later identified as 34-year-old Lyndsay L. Bender of Granby.
The affidavit said the trooper tried to stop the vehicle and saw it swerve into oncoming traffic. The car didn’t pull over and continued eastbound on Highway 40.
The report continued by saying Bender stopped at a red light in Winter Park and a Fraser Winter Park police officer pulled up behind the vehicle with emergency lights on. The state trooper pulled up at an angle in front of Bender’s vehicle while it was stopped.
The affidavit said both officers were exiting their cars when the driver put the vehicle in reverse and backed into the Fraser Winter Park police car, causing about $1,500 in damage.
Bender then allegedly continued eastbound while officials continued the pursuit. The affidavit said the trooper clocked speeds of 90 mph as the vehicle hit snow banks on the edge of the highway and almost crashed several times.
Troopers could not safely keep up and ended the chase at the top of Berthoud Pass. About 20 minutes after the pursuit, Idaho Springs police used stop sticks to halt the vehicle.
The driver was identified as Bender, who had her 22-month-old son in the car. The child was uninjured, but officials also found handguns in the front passenger seat. Bender was placed into police custody and taken to the hospital to get checked out for injuries, and troopers noticed signs of intoxication.
Bender faces a range of charges including speeding, criminal mischief, reckless driving, weaving, child abuse, driving under the influence and possessing a weapon under the influence.