WILDOMAR: Lake Elsinore woman arrested after pursuit in stolen Jeep

WILDOMAR — A woman temporarily eluded deputies but was ultimately arrested after leading authorities on a pursuit through Wildomar Friday morning, Oct. 6. Sheriff’s aviation crew members managed to track the woman when she fled on foot from a stolen Jeep, after deputies on the ground terminated their pursuit when the fleeing woman took the chase off-road, according to sheriff’s officials.

The pursuit began in the area of Walnut Street and ended when the alleged suspect, who was later identified as Kaitlynn Zimmerer, 28, of Lake Elsinore, was apprehended in a field near Stony Brook Lane in Wildomar.

Zimmerer was booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

The incident began about 10:11 a.m., when deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Wildomar Police Station responded to the area of Walnut Street and Wood Lane in Wildomar, after a person called 911 to report spotting a stolen, black, 2016 Jeep Wrangler.

The Jeep had been reported stolen from the City of Temecula, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Jeff Reese explained after the pursuit and arrest.

When deputies arrived in the area, they located the stolen Jeep being driven “southbound on Walnut Street towards Palomar Street,” said Reese. When deputies attempted to stop the Jeep, Zimmerer refused to yield and she accelerated away from deputies at a “high rate of speed,” according to Reese.

When Zimmerer attempted to evade the deputies, officials initiated a pursuit.

The high-speed pursuit continued through the streets of Wildomar until Zimmerer led the pursuing deputies off-road in a rural area of Wildomar.

As the chase went off-road, Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit responded to the scene in “Star 9” and quickly located the stolen Jeep in a field, “along with a female subject running away from the location,” said Reece.

According to a jail records search, Zimmerer was apprehended by ground deputies on or near Stoney Brook Lane. She was released within hours of her arrest after posting $10,000 bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Dec. 1.

Anyone with additional information about this investigation is encouraged to contact the Wildomar Police Department at (951) 245-3300 or Riverside County Sheriff’s dispatch at (951) 776-1099. Callers can refer to incident file number WI172790023 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.