Bellingham woman leads police on chase, damages garage in crash

Police arrested a Bellingham woman early Sunday morning who had allegedly led them on a chase earlier last week, which ended when she crashed into a parked car and fled on foot.

Kara Diane Yeubanks, 33, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of hit and run of an unattended vehicle, attempting to elude a police vehicle, second-degree theft, third-degree theft and third-degree driving with a suspended license.

Minutes before 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7, a Bellingham police officer spotted a van leaving a gas station parking lot in the 1100 block of Iowa Street at a high rate of speed and without its headlights on.

The officer recognized the driver from previous law enforcement contacts as Yeubanks, according to emails sent to The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.

The officer followed the van, Murphy said, and Yeubanks continued to drive without headlights on and ran two stop signs, after which the officer turned on his emergency lights to pull Yeubanks over, Murphy said.

Yeubanks kept driving, ignoring a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign at King and Virginia Streets, so the officer also turned on his siren, Murphy said. Yeubanks continued to flee, running several stop signs, until she crashed into an unoccupied parked car in a driveway at the end of the cul-de-sac on Claudia Court in the Alabama Hill neighborhood.

The force of the collision caused the parked car to crash into the garage door in front of it, damaging it, Murphy said.

Yeubanks then fled on foot through various backyards, Murphy said. A K-9 unit was called, but Yeubanks wasn’t found.

An investigation showed Yeubanks had a felony warrant out for her arrest for second-degree theft, which stemmed from a September case in which Yeubanks asked a friend for help and then allegedly stole his wallet and a Fitbit when he left the room, Murphy said.

Yeubanks was stopped by police late Saturday night in the 4000 block of Eliza Avenue, where she was taken into custody for the theft case and the Claudia Court crash without incident, Murphy said.