A 47-year-old woman faces multiple charges after she allegedly drove more than 125 mph during a police pursuit in Wisconsin, resulting in severe injuries to a state trooper. Martell Tolbert Mitchell now stands accused of eluding an officer and recklessly endangering safety following the high-speed chase on Monday.
According to the criminal complaint, the Wisconsin State Patrol received a notification from the Illinois State Patrol that a driver had fled a traffic stop. Authorities later identified the suspect as Tolbert Mitchell. Troopers located her vehicle in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, and initiated another traffic stop. Instead of complying, Tolbert Mitchell allegedly accelerated to speeds exceeding 100 mph.
Wisconsin troopers reported observing Tolbert Mitchell’s vehicle traveling at 76 mph within a 60 mph construction zone and began following her. When they attempted to pull her over, she allegedly increased her speed. Police documented in the complaint that their trooper’s speedometer registered 125 mph, and Tolbert Mitchell had overtaken him.
Law enforcement closed I-94 and deployed State Patrol Trooper Brad Ritger to lay spike strips on an overpass. The strips successfully disabled Tolbert Mitchell’s vehicle, forcing it into a ditch where authorities promptly arrested her. During the arrest, officers discovered cocaine, THC, packaging materials, and a digital scale in her possession.
In the complaint, troopers reported losing contact with Ritger, who was later found severely injured on the roadway below the overpass where he had deployed the spike strips. Emergency responders transported him to the hospital after reviving him at the scene.
Authorities stated that investigators have not determined how Ritger fell from the overpass. During her arrest, Tolbert Mitchell “made unsolicited comments that she did not hit anybody and that if law enforcement was injured, it was not her fault because that was their job,” according to the complaint.
Prosecutors have not charged Tolbert Mitchell in connection with Ritger’s injuries. In addition to the eluding and reckless endangerment charges, she faces counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of THC with intent to distribute. She did not appear on the Dunn County Jail inmate roster as of Thursday.
The court scheduled her next appearance for Sept. 28.
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