McCORDSVILLE — An Indianapolis couple led police on a high-speed chase Monday afternoon after shoplifting clothes and booze from the McCordsville Meijer, according to court documents.
Timia Thomas and Tony Washington were arrested on Memorial Day and were being held in the Hancock County Jail without bond at press time. The chase they were reportedly involved in reached speeds of nearly 130 mph and spanned more than 7 miles, starting on the northwest side of Hancock County and ending near Pendleton Pike and Interstate 465 in Indianapolis, according to court documents.
Thomas, 38, 2504 E. 28th St., Indianapolis, was the driver of the car involved in the chase, police say. She now faces 17 charges — four criminal counts and 13 driving infractions — accusing her of reckless driving, theft and resisting law enforcement, records show.
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Washington, 35, 3541 N. Wallace St., Indianapolis, was the front-seat passenger. He also faces charges of theft and resisting arrest, records show.
Police were called to the McCordsville Meijer, 6939 W. Broadway, just before 1 p.m. Monday after store management reported a shoplifting in progress.
The two suspects had left carrying a laundry hamper full of clothes, two shoe boxes and two bottles of cognac, according to court documents. They then climbed into a tan-colored Chevy Cavalier and sped off, court documents state.
An officer responding to the store spotted the car as it was heading south on North County Road 700W and followed the vehicle. The two people inside matched the description of the couple involved in the shoplifting incident, police said.
The driver of the car, later identified as Thomas, did not stop when commanded by police. She turned onto West County Road 600N and headed into Marion County, court documents state.
Thomas continued driving with police in pursuit, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph, court document state.
At one point, she left the roadway and drove into an open field, pulling up behind a car rental company located near the intersection of 62nd Street and Oaklandon Road. She struck two parked cars before speeding off again, court documents state.
During the pursuit, Thomas ignored several red lights and drove at a high speed through areas of heavy traffic, according to reports. She stopped only after her Cavalier blew a tire near the intersection East 42nd Street and North Franklin Road in Indianapolis, police said.
Thomas and Washington were then arrested without further incident. Inside their car, police located the hamper of clothing and bottles of alcohol that were reported stolen from Meijer, court documents state.
Washington faces one Level 6 felony count of theft and one Class A misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement, court records show.
Thomas faces one Level 6 felony count of resisting law enforcement; one Class A misdemeanor of theft; one Class A misdemeanor of driving while suspended; and one Class C misdemeanor of reckless driving.
She also faces 13 driving-infraction charges, including speeding, failure to signal and disregarding a lighted signal.