Suspect arrested after vehicle goes airborne

By Sarah Nigbor

TOWN OF TRIM – BELLE – An Eau Claire woman driving a stolen vehicle took police on a wild ride, cutting through yards, fields, fences and pasture before going airborne and getting stuck on rocks in a town of Trimbelle pasture – Wednesday, June 8.

Jeanette Deltrese Lee Kolpien, 23, was ordered to pay $2,500 cash bail June 10 on felony second-degree recklessly endangering safety, felony take and drive vehicle without consent, felony criminal damage to property (over $2,500), felony vehicle operator flee/elude police, felony bail jumping and operating while revoked (alcohol related) charges. If convicted, she could be facing up to 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $25,000. According to the com – plaint: At about 10:30 a.m. June 8, Hudson police reported being in pursuit of a stolen 2014 Chevrolet Equinox that was heading south on Highway 35 to River Falls. The vehicle had been stolen from Bloomer and the driver had allegedly stolen two TVs from the Hudson Walmart. River Falls police located the vehicle near the city limits as it headed south on Highway 65 toward Ellsworth.

A Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputy stationed himself at the power sub – station on Highway 65 at 820th Street in the town of Trimbelle to watch for the Equinox. At 10:39 a.m., the deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over, but it in – creased its speed eventually to 102 mph heading through Beldenville. During the pursuit, the Equinox passed other vehicles in no-passing zones with oncoming traffic. Near Highway 65 and County Road J, the Equinox drove into the ditch and through a soybean field and yard to avoid hitting spike strips that had been deployed in an attempt to stop the runaway Chevy. Near N6383 Highway 65, the Chevy got back onto Highway 65 heading south toward Ellsworth, almost crashing into the deputy’s squad. When the suspect saw more squads waiting at Highway 65 and Madonna Street in the village limits, she veered into the ditch and drove onto Mikel Street in the Dar Ray Heights neighborhood.

The vehicle continued on Mikel, turned onto Mitchell Street, then southbound onto Debra Street, disobeying all traffic signs, before bolting out onto 570th Avenue, turning west. A boy and his mother were on the south side of 570th Avenue looking for their lost cat when the suspect sped by. Police found the boy in the ditch plugging his ears. An officer got him into the car with his mother and advised them to leave the area. The suspect reached speeds of 70 mph on 570th Avenue, veering around a bicyclist with no regard for their safety. When the vehicle approached 745th Street, it missed the curve, went into the ditch and continued through a corn field before coming back onto 570th Avenue, heading west. It soon went into the ditch again, this time on purpose near W7629 570th Ave., trying to elude the officers on its tail. Kolpien drove behind a house toward a woodline, heading through a field to – ward 770th Street.

The Chevy came out onto 770th Street at N5832 770th St., crossed 770th and went into the driveway at N5833 770th St., where it turned north and rammed through a barbed wire fence at W7717 770th St. Police were trying to get in front of the vehicle to cut it off, but it continued northbound, hit the roadway at 570th Avenue and went airborne. It landed on the north shoulder of 570th Avenue, where it broke through another fence and headed north into a pasture toward a rock gully, where it got stuck on top of several rocks.

The driver, later identified as Kolpien, fled toward a wooded ravine where police apprehended her. EMS responded to evaluate her because she said she couldn’t get out of the ravine; she appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine and was extremely out of breath. Police retraced her steps and found a pair of sandals, a tennis shoe and a cell phone.

A man, identified as Carlos Rodriguez Coleman, 47, Bloomer, got out of the vehicle from the rear driver’s side door and laid down on the ground, where he was handcuffed. He told police that Kolpien was “out of her mind” and had stolen two TVs from Walmart in Hudson. Coleman said his roommate owned the vehicle Kolpien was driving and that he’d taken the vehicle the night before. The vehicle’s owner later told police Coleman has had permission in the past to use the vehicle, but not this time. She also said Coleman had told her he was heading to Eau Claire to pick up a girl and then to Hudson to steal some TVs.