Woman denies stealing Jeep, leading chase that ended in crash

An Evergreen woman has denied stealing a vehicle and leading law enforcement on a 100 mph chase from Evergreen to Nyack on Aug. 20.

Raychelle Yvette Afseth, 29, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to felony criminal endangerment and theft charges.

Afseth has been in the Flathead County Detention Center since the day she allegedly stole a Jeep parked at Kmart. The owner of the Jeep told law enforcement that he was delivering cookies when the vehicle was stolen.

According to court documents, deputies located the vehicle and tried to conduct a traffic stop on Montana 35, but Afseth allegedly accelerated and led officers on a chase up Montana 206 and U.S. 2 through the Canyon and beyond.

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.

She was booked into jail later that day.

Afseth said nothing during her arraignment on Thursday, when a public defender entered a not guilty plea for her.

District Judge Heidi Ulbricht set a jury trial for Nov. 2.