Hit and Run in Carson City leads to high speed chase; Driver arrested in California

A 53 year old Reno woman was arrested Tuesday on charges of suspected DUI and eluding officers after she led Nevada Highway Patrol troopers on a high speed chase into California.

Melanie Marnne-Lawson is suspected of rear ending a car in Carson City near the intersection of US 395 and Eastlake, then taking off towards Reno where the NHP spotted her. As they attempted to pull her over in South Reno, Marnne-Lawson failed to pull over for officers and took off reaching speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour along US 395.

During the pursuit the Dodge pickup she was driving was failing to drive in one lane but did not cause any other accidents. Commercial units from NHP were conducting inspections at the Bordertown check site and set up to deploy stop sticks in efforts to end the pursuit. When the pursuit reached Bordertown the Dodge pickup ran over the stop sticks but continued northbound on US 395 with several NHP units following. During this time the speeds of the pursuit dropped to approximately 35 miles per hour.

In an attempt to ensure the safety of other drivers in the area, the NHP says troopers were continuously monitoring the traffic, speeds and roadway conditions throughout the pursuit.

Once the suspect drove into California the NHP attempted several times to immobilize the pickup truck. The pickup truck which was now driving on three flat tires was forced into a skid where it went into the center median and became stuck.

NHP Troopers were able to extract the lone female driver out of the vehicle and placed her into custody without any resistance. Ms. Marnne Lawson could face charges out of Nevada to include Hit and Run from an accident, reckless driving and eluding.