Driver allegedly tried to hit officer in Stanwood

Published 10:58 pm Wednesday, February 13, 2008

STANWOOD — A woman who stole a car with a baby inside two years ago is behind bars again.

Investigators say that Stefan Smith, 22, tried to run down a motorcycle officer on Tuesday during a high-speed pursuit through Stanwood. A police dog found her hiding in some brush after she bailed out of a pickup filled with a large amount of possibly stolen wire, according to court documents.

A judge on Wednesday ordered her held in the county jail on $100,000 bail.

Smith served time in 2006 after she drove off in a car she found idling in a Marysville driveway. A 3-month-old baby boy was inside. His father had run into the house to retrieve a phone number. The car and uninjured boy were found about 25 minutes later outside the Strawberry Lanes bowling alley.

Smith also has felony convictions for burglary, theft and possession of stolen property. She bailed out of jail on a Skagit County charge on Friday.

Tuesday morning, a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy reported seeing her speeding in a pickup along Finn Settlement Road outside of Arlington. The deputy, who was riding a motorcycle, followed the truck and attempted to pull it over. Smith allegedly failed to stop and headed toward Stanwood with the motorcycle in pursuit.

The deputy reported that the pickup stopped and accelerated backward toward him. The deputy had to make a U-turn and speed off to avoid being hit, court records said.

The chase continued with speeds reaching up to 70 mph. Smith allegedly pulled into a driveway and then sped directly at the deputy a second time. He was forced once again to drive off to avoid being hit. The pickup plowed through a fence and yard and stopped against the bucket of a tractor.

The deputy reported that Smith ran from the truck. He allegedly found her identification card on the ground near the back of the truck.

Deputies swarmed the area, and a police dog found Smith about 100 yards away, hiding under some brush. She was bitten by the dog and treated at Cascade Valley Hospital. She was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of assault and attempting to elude police.

Investigators believe the wire in the back of the truck was stolen.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.