Woman hits deputy with car, nearly hits second

Oct. 27—One deputy was struck by a car fleeing from a traffic stop, a second nearly hit, and vehicles crashed into during an incident that occurred in the dark hours of last Friday morning, according to reports.

No one was seriously injured but at least two vehicles were struck during the episode and a mailbox destroyed.

Betty Katherine Janow, 39, Webb Ave., is charged with reckless endangerment, evading arrest, resisting a stop, arrest or search, driving under the influence, reckless driving, simple possession of Gabapentin, simple possession of Phentermine, driving on a revoked license and leaving the scene of a crash.

The series of events began, according to Deputy Perrianna Evans' report, on Oct. 21 around 1 a.m. when she was on patrol traveling on Hwy. 127 N in the area of the Exxon gas station.

Evans reported her squad car was forced out of her lane of travel by a Volkswagen Jetta that quickly turned into Circle K convenience store. Evans wrote she made contact with the woman, who had stopped at a fuel pump, and asked her to exit the vehicle.

The woman told the deputy her door would not open and the motorist asked Evans to open the door. Evans observed the entire side of the car was damaged and the outside door handle missing.

At some point during the short interaction, the woman rolled her window up, put her vehicle in drive and sped away, nearly striking Evans with the vehicle, according to the report.

Evans and Deputy Brandon Griffin then pursued the vehicle north on Hwy. 127 N. to Tabor Loop. During that span the motorist left the roadway "several times, going into the ditch on both sides of the road." The vehicle then turned onto Tabor Loop, running over a mailbox and traveling to a house in the 3600 block where it finally stopped.

The two deputies again attempted to get the woman out of the vehicle but she suddenly sped away again, brushing against Griffin and traveling through the yard, jumping a ditch and returning back onto Tabor Loop.

The motorist came to a final stop when she reportedly struck Evans' patrol car, the report continues. Deputies approached her again, ordered he out of the vehicle, but the driver reportedly told deputies, "No." She said she just wanted to go home.

Deputies finally broke a passenger-side window to gain entry and activated a stun gun in order to remove the driver without hurting her or themselves.

After officers made contact with the vehicle's owner, they learned the vehicle belonged to the suspect's mother and was taken without permission. The mother said she refused to let her daughter drive because the daughter and been "on a bender for a couple of weeks."

The daughter snuck into the mother's room and took the keys to the car and left. The mother, however, declined to press charges for theft or joyriding.

Bond was set at $45,000 for Janow and a hearing will be held in General Sessions Court at a later date.

Michael Moser may be reached at mmoser@crossville-chronicle.com