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Handcuffed woman who escaped police custody found in Marion

by Heartland News

Carrier Mills, IL (KFVS) - An Indiana woman who escaped from a Carrier Mills squad car while handcuffed is now in the Saline County Jail, said Carrier Mills Police Chief Bill Duncan.

Duncan identified the woman as Crystal Mathis, 20.  According to Duncan, a Carrier Mills police officer stopped Mathis for speeding around 8 p.m. Sunday.  The officer handcuffed Mathis and put her in the back seat of his patrol car after learning her drivers' license was suspended, Duncan said. 

The officer searched Mathis' vehicle and reported finding a small amount of marijuana and alcohol.

While the officer was searching Mathis' vehicle, Duncan said Mathis, still wearing handcuffs, managed to work her way to the front seat of the patrol car, where she grabbed her cell phone, keys and drivers' license, then fled on foot. 

A K-9 team was dispatched to search for Mathis.  The search ended more than three days later in Marion, where officers arrested Mathis at a friend's home.   

Mathis is in jail on $1,000 cash bond.  She faces several charges including possession of cannabis, escape from a police officer, theft of government property (the handcuffs) and obstruction of justice, which is a fourth-degree felony.  

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