A high-speed car chase erupted in Fayette County, Texas, after a 29-year-old woman fled from police, with her three young children discovered in the backseat post-arrest. Clorisa Franklin of Albuquerque, New Mexico, led deputies on a pursuit down State Highway 71 early Tuesday morning, according to CBS Austin.
The ordeal kickstarted around 1:06 a.m. when Deputy Jason Fowler stopped to conduct a welfare check on a vehicle parked at an Ellinger convenience store. A conversation between Deputy Fowler and Franklin, who hastily drove off during their conversation, turned into a full-blown freeway chase. Covered with a blanket, the back windows, as reported by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, concealed Franklin's children aged 2, 6, and 9.
Franklin's information revealed multiple warrants for her arrest from different states, and she escalated the situation by peeling out of the parking lot without lights and leading the deputy on a chase exceeding speeds of 100 mph. Deputy Wesly Arrison deployed a tire deflation device that brought the high-speed escapade to a halt in the driveway of a classic car dealership, per the Sheriff's Office account.
Once apprehended, Franklin's vehicle yielded an unexpected and concerning discovery. While performing their duties, the deputies, after noticing that her back windows were covered, discovered Franklin's three children. Instantaneously, the children were released to Child Protective Services and found safe but shaken. Other deputies, including Cody Williams, Duane Meagher, and Sergeant Ben Wilson, also assisted in Franklin's arrest.
Franklin now faces not only the prior warrants—one out of New Mexico for Custodial Interference and another from Brazoria County, Texas for Assault Causes Bodily Injury Family Violence—but additional charges of Evading Arrest or Detention with a Vehicle and Endangering a Child.
