An Altoona woman was arrested Sunday for eluding deputies on a motorcycle that she did not have a license to use.
A deputy responded to a 48026 First St., Altoona, for a stolen vehicle recovery around 3:15 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. While speaking with the male complainant of the original call, 30-year-old Kayla Michelle Elliott made a left-hand turn off Shockley Trail onto First Street, nearly dropping the motorcycle.
The original complainant stated, “That’s Kayla right there.” The report noted he was able to positively identify her due to his prior friendship of several years with her. As the motorcycle got closer, the deputy identified Elliott as the driver and knew from prior interactions that she did not have a motorcycle endorsement, the report said.
The deputy tried to call out to Elliott to get her to stop as she drove past the house, but she refused and continued to travel northbound on First Street. Dispatch confirmed she did not have a motorcycle endorsement, and another deputy tried following her to initiate a traffic stop. He caught up on State Road 19 near Ravenswood Road, the report said.
The deputy turned on his emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to get Elliott to stop, but she refused and continued to travel south on State Road 19 into Umatilla. Due to this, the deputy turned off his lights and sirens to pull off on the side of the road, the report said.
An officer with the Umatilla Police Department tried another traffic stop on Elliott wherein she still did not stop. A deputy traveling northbound on State Road 19 pulled off into a turning lane, with his emergency lights on, waiting for Elliott to pass. Once she spotted the deputy in the turn lane, she went into oncoming traffic to avoid stopping, the report said.
Elliott continued south on State Road 19, endangering herself, the deputy and the rest of the motoring public. This led to law enforcement putting out a “Be on The Lookout” alert for her, and they did not try to stop her again, the report said.
The Iowa native was ultimately found at 20441 North Rd., Altoona, on Sunday afternoon. She was arrested on charge of no motorcycle endorsement and flee to elude with wanton disregard. She was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $5,500.