Woman allegedly calls 911 during car chase to convince cops to stop

CASPER (WNE) — A Gillette woman faces charges of eluding police, felony drug possession, reckless driving and interference after authorities allege she led police on a car chase down Yellowstone Highway toward Casper and repeatedly veered into oncoming traffic. 

Jolynn Gardner, 31, was arrested June 11 by a Mills Police officer identified only as Officer Rodgers in an affidavit filed with the charges in circuit court. 

Rodgers attempted to pull over Gardner just outside Mills Smoke Shop after running her plates through computer-aided dispatch software and finding an outstanding warrant, according to the affidavit. 

After Rodgers tried to initiate the stop, Gardner sped up to 10- 20 MPH over the posted speed limit and began to change lanes erratically, including oncoming lanes, the affidavit said. 

Authorities tried and failed to use spike strips to stop Gardner’s car near the intersection at Poplar Street. They allege Gardner called 911 and threatened to crash her car and kill herself if police didn’t stop chasing her before “darting” toward oncoming vehicles and swerving away at the last second. 

At multiple points throughout the chase, officers tried to pass Gardner and slow down in front of her to force her to come to a stop, but all attempts were unsuccessful. 

Eventually, Gardner pulled into a hotel parking lot, where she “slowed her vehicle to a crawl” but failed to stop before getting out of the vehicle, causing her car to collide with the open door of a police cruiser and causing “extensive” damage to it, according to the affidavit. 

Gardner was then arrested. In the ensuing search of her car, officers found a substance in a jeweler’s bag that field-tested positive for meth as well as a syringe containing a liquid that also field-tested positive for meth. 

If convicted, Gardner faces a maximum of nearly 12 years in jail and $11,750 in fines. 

This story was published on June 19, 2025.