Woman arrested after police chase where PIT maneuver was used twice
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BLACKFOOT — A Fort Hall woman is facing multiple charges after allegedly leading law enforcement on a chase, causing them to use a spike strip and break a window out of the car she had been driving.
Courtney Lynn Dixey, 37, has been charged with felony eluding a police officer, felony operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, misdemeanor open container of alcohol and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing arrest.
She is additionally facing two enhancements. One of them is for the felony DUI and another is for being a persistent violator.
The chase
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened on April 23 after 8:40 p.m.
A deputy was patrolling near U.S. Highway 91 and South Shilling in Bingham County. The deputy saw a white Nissan Altima that was driving in the wrong lane at a “high rate of speed,” court documents said. It had been called in for a traffic complaint.
The deputy then activated emergency lights to stop the Nissan. The car pulled into a gas station but failed to yield to the deputy. The car — which was identified as being driven by Dixey — then pulled onto Highway 91, driving fast.
Dixey drove into an oncoming lane and went through a stop sign near Besto Road, documents said. Law enforcement then spiked the tires of the car, but it continued.
A deputy performed a PIT maneuver. A PIT maneuver is a pursuit tactic where a police car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop.
The car spun out, hit the guardrail and came to a stop, according to documents. The deputy told Dixey to get out of the car with her hands up.
Dixey allegedly failed to obey the commands and began to drive north on Highway 91. A deputy again performed another PIT maneuver at Highway 91 and No Name Road.
The car came to a stop again.
The arrest
The deputy told Dixey to get out, but she would not, documents said. Deputies saw a passenger inside and asked the passenger to get out. After several minutes, the passenger did, but Dixey still would not, according to documents.
The driver’s window was then broken out, and Dixey was “removed from the vehicle and taken into custody.”
The deputy asked Dixey if she would take a sobriety test, and she said no. Records show that she also refused to take a breath sample. The deputy requested a blood warrant and collected two blood samples.
She was transported to the Bingham County Jail and is on a $50,000 bond.
Dixey was initially charged the morning after she was arrested, but due to the blood testing results later coming back positive, charges against her were refiled May 28 in a new case, according to the Bingham County Prosecutor’s Office.
She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at the Bingham County Courthouse.
Though Dixey has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean she committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.