MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – A woman accused of purposely tailgating and brake checking a Michigan State Police trooper while she was driving a stolen car, causing a crash and a chase, has now been officially charged.
A trooper from the Monroe post in a fully marked patrol vehicle first encountered the other vehicle at 7:32 p.m. Friday (Dec. 16) while heading west on M-50 near Downing Highway in Ridgeway Township.
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Officials said Shannon Leigh Overton, 34, of Jackson, began tailgating the trooper and then drove up alongside of him. The trooper said he slowed down to check if the driver was experiencing an emergency.
Overton abruptly pulled in front of the patrol car and then slammed on the brakes, causing the trooper to crash into her, according to authorities.
She tried to flee the scene, so the trooper followed, crossing into Monroe County. A Dundee police officer and a Monroe County deputy deployed stop sticks and deflated the fleeing car’s tires, forcing Overton to pull over, police said.
She was taken into custody without further incident and lodged at the Lenawee County Jail.
On Tuesday, prosecutors announced Overton has been charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle, third-degree fleeing a police officer -- penal code, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Her bond was set at $100,000.
Officials said the car had been reported stolen out of Jackson County earlier in the day.