Fentanyl, 3 children without car seats found in vehicle after pursuit on I-79

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A woman has been charged after a pursuit on Interstate 79 that ended at the Bridgeport Bob Evans on Sunday .

On Nov. 17, deputies with the Harrison County Sheriff's Department observed a female who "appeared to be sleeping" parked "on the berm of the bridge approaching" W.Va. Rt. 50 and the I-79 north entrance ramp, according to a criminal complaint.

Deputies spoke with the woman, identified as Ashlee White, 25, who claimed she was stopped because she "had run out of gas," and noticed "three children in the vehicle" who were "crawling around the vehicle" because White "did not have the approved car sears for the number of children in the vehicle," officers said.

After deputies noted that "the car seats within the vehicle were broken and unsafe," a K-9 unit was deployed which gave a positive indication for the presence of narcotics, according to the complaint.

Deputies then told White to exit the vehicle, at which point she "bear hugged" one of the children and said, "'The devil is a liar,'" before she "placed the car in drive and began to flee" toward Marion County, deputies said.

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A pursuit then began on I-79 north, during which time White was "weaving in and out of traffic," and "crossing all lanes of traffic" before she was taken into custody at the Bob Evans location off of exit 121, according to the complaint.

Deputies said two of the children were "crawling around the vehicle throughout the pursuit" and the third child was "clinging onto" White while she fled.

Inside the vehicle, deputies observed "[a] white powder-like substance located all over the floor" which field-tested positive for fentanyl, as well as "[t]wo loaded firearms" and "several AR-15 style magazines loaded with ammunition," according to the complaint.

White has been charged with three counts of child neglect creating risk of injury and one count of fleeing with reckless indifference. She is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $500,000 bond.

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