UPDATED: Woman held after chase, search
NEW CASTLE -- A woman who allegedly led authorities on a high-speed chase in a stolen police vehicle was captured Saturday after an overnight search in northwestern Henry County.
Tori Schadene Hostetler, 21, was found along the Cadiz Pike north of the community of Cadiz about 10 a.m., Henry County Sheriff Ric McCorkle said.
The sheriff said Hostetler did not appear to be injured. She continued to be held in the Henry County jail late Saturday.
Indiana State Police said Hostetler had been a passenger in a car -- reported stolen earlier in Indianapolis -- that was followed on the northbound lanes of Interstate 69 by Hamilton County deputies and a Fishers police officer.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, the car exited the interstate at the Ind. 38 interchange near Pendleton. It was pulled over by police in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's.
The occupants of the stolen car were arrested and placed in police vehicles. Hostetler was handcuffed and placed in the rear seat of a Hamilton County Sheriff's Department's Chevrolet Tahoe.
"While the deputy was outside his vehicle, Hostetler, who is thin with a slight build, was able to somehow slip the handcuffs and gain control of the police Tahoe," an ISP release said.
She fled from the parking lot east on Ind. 38, leading police on a chase through Pendleton and into Henry County, traveling at speeds that approached 100 mph.
Police said Hostetler turned north on Henry County Road 525-W, and apparently jumped out of the police SUV before it rolled and crashed near the intersection with Henry County Road 200-N. She then fled on foot.
An all-night search of the area followed, in part because authorities feared the woman's life was in danger due to the frigid weather conditions. Search dogs were brought to the scene, and officers searched a nearby barn and followed tracks of footprints they found in the snow.
McCorkle said a local couple reported Hostetler had apparently been in their garage.
The Monrovia resident is expected to face charges of auto theft and resisting law enforcement in Madison County and leaving the scene of an accident in Henry County, along with numerous traffic violations.
She will also be returned to Hendricks County, where she is the target of warrants.
In the past year, Hostetler has been convicted of dealing in marijuana and resisting law enforcement in that county, and was charged there in December with resisting law enforcement.
A charge of possession of methamphetamine filed against her in Hendricks County was dismissed under the terms of a plea agreement.
Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.