A 31-year-old woman who in September led police on an early morning chase and rammed a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department patrol car with a deputy inside will spend the next year in jail.
Rachel Hastings of Lily was sentenced Friday in Lincoln County Circuit Court after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors. Hastings now stands convicted of fleeing an officer, possession of methamphetamine and second offense drunken driving, according to court records. Five other charges, including second degree reckless endangerment, were dismissed as part of the agreement but read into the record.
Police on Sept. 13 tried to pull Hastings over on a stretch of Hwy. 64 after they spotted her vehicle with a broken driver’s side mirror, according to the complaint. Police said Hastings was also driving erratically. She refused to stop for the officer, instead leading police on a chase through Merrill and into the Lake Pesoic area before Hastings crashed into the deputy’s vehicle.
Even after striking the vehicle, police said, Hastings continued to try to escape, pressing down on the accelerator pedal and spinning the tires, according to the police report.
In addition to jail time, Hastings was also ordered to pay $2,200 in restitution to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department along with a fine of $1,665.
After her release from jail, Hastings will spend an additional two years on probation. If she does not follow the rules, a judge could send her to prison for 18 months.
