A Vidalia woman had all three local law enforcement agencies and Georgia State Patrol working together Thursday and landed herself in the Toombs County Detention Center.
Toombs County Sheriff Jordan Kight said while in in the courthouse, 28-year-old Destany Gilchriest began acting irrationally and Rosa Morales, an advocate for The Refuge Domestic Violence Shelter, was asked to speak to her. Morales called EMS and EMTs assessed the woman but Gilchriest refused to be transported by ambulance. Morales was still concerned, though, and stepped into the hallway of the courthouse to call the Vidalia Police Department, and it was during the phone call that Gilchriest allegedly went through Morales’ purse and stole the keys to the SUV that belongs to The Refuge. While Gilchriest was in the elevator to leave the courthouse, Morales cautioned security to stop her, but without any charges against hear or health conditions that warranted it, Sheriff Kight said security legally could do nothing – until they saw her getting into a vehicle they knew did not belong to her.
Gilchriest left the courthouse in the stolen vehicle, leading county officers down Hwy 280 traveling with speeds up to 100 mph according to the Sheriff. The woman was spotted by a Vidalia police officer turning right at the hospital, and then she drove to Hwy. 292 where she started to head back into Lyons.
Back in Lyons, Gilchriest collided with a Sherwin Williams van, but it did not render the SUV inoperable, and she continued to travel. Finally, a Lyons police officer was able to stop her on 292 near the road that leads to Cobbtown and take her into custody.
Gilchriest now faces charges in Lyons, Vidalia, and the County including aggressive driving, failure to maintain lane, fleeing or attempting to elude police officers, reckless driving, failure to obey traffic signs or traffic control devices, and felony theft by taking.
Officers also learned after her arrest Thursday that she was wanted on a felony probation warrant.
As of Friday afternoon, she was awaiting her first appearance before a judge to determine if she will be granted a bond.
