Woman changes plea in car chase

An Evergreen woman changed her plea this week and admitted leading police on a 100-mph chase from Evergreen to Nyack on Aug. 20.

Raychelle Yvette Afseth, 29, pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment as part of a deal where theft charges were dropped for stealing the Jeep involved in the chase.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed to recommend that Afseth receive a six-year deferred sentence in the case.

Afseth is set to be sentenced Jan. 7.

Afseth stole a Jeep parked at an Evergreen business on Aug. 20 as its owner was delivering cookies. Deputies located the vehicle and tried to conduct a traffic stop on Montana 35, but Afseth accelerated and led officers on a chase up Montana 206 and U.S. 2.

The chase ended in the Nyack area when Afseth crashed the vehicle into trees after running over spike strips deployed by law enforcement.

Afseth was injured in the crash and was airlifted from the scene.

Reporter Megan Strickland may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.