A driver got a harsh reminder to never leave the keys in the car, even for a minute, Sunday night, July 1.

The owner of a 1999 Nissan Altima left his keys in the ignition as he ran into the Glenhaven Country Store just before 9 p.m. Sunday.

A 19-year-old transient woman saw the keys, jumped into the car and started it up, said Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks.

The owner saw the woman get in his car and tried to run out and stop her, but she was able to drive away.

Police stopped the car on Cain Lake Road, where driver Erica Louise Greene admitted to having taken "heroin pills and alcohol," Parks said.

After she was taken to the hospital for evaluation, Greene was booked into Whatcom County Jail for investigation of stealing a vehicle and assaulting two nurses at the hospital, Parks said.

Reach SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL at samantha.wohlfeil@bellinghamherald.com or 360-756-2883.