Homeless woman arrested after crashing stolen car in Essex

A Burlington woman was arrested Thursday after allegedly stealing a car and crashing on Pearl Street in Essex.

The incident began in Colchester when police attempted to stop the car just before 5 p.m. The driver, later identified as Shauna Francis, 34, fled into Essex, which has a policy of not engaging in pursuits.

Essex police said officers trailed the car at a distance until it crashed into another vehicle. Police detained Francis, who police said is homeless, and two passengers. Francis and the driver of the vehicle that was hit suffered minor injuries and were transported to the hospital.

The two male passengers were questioned at the scene and later released.