Teen crashes after high-speed chase

POWELL (WNE) — A 16-year-old Powell girl allegedly fled from the Wyoming Highway Patrol late Monday night, reaching speeds as high as 137 mph before crashing on Wyo. Highway 294.

The girl received treatment at Powell Valley Hospital for “non life threatening injuries,” according to the patrol.

She’s been directed to appear in Park County Circuit Court next week to answer to nine misdemeanor charges that include fleeing or attempting to elude police, reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, underage possession of nicotine, driving with no auto insurance and failing to wear a seat belt.

The incident started around 11 p.m., when a trooper attempted to stop a westbound Chrysler 300 on U.S. Highway 14A, just a few miles east of Powell, said Lt. Lee Pence.

However, the driver of the sedan fled at speeds almost double the 70 mph limit.

After passing through Ralston, the driver turned north on Wyo. Highway 294 and soon afterward

failed to navigate a right-hand curve, Pence said.

The Chrysler went off the opposite side of the road and slid into a small irrigation ditch, breaking off a wheel. The vehicle “began to flip in the irrigation ditch, then back in the grassy right of way, where it came to rest on its wheels, more than 593 [feet] from where it left the asphalt,” Pence wrote.

The entire pursuit — which covered roughly 10 miles — lasted approximately 6 minutes, he said.

“Had the suspect just stopped, the charges would have been relatively minor,” Pence said in an email. “Jeopardizing everyone’s safety resulted in many more and much more serious charges.”

The 16-year-old is due to appear in court on May 6.

This story was published on May 1, 2025.