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GUNNISON — A Dallas woman was arrested and accused of nearly running over two police officers after claiming she was trying to get away from being forced into sex trafficking.
On Saturday, employees at a car dealership in Gunnison arrived at work to find a vehicle with a Texas license plate parked near the service entrance. Two women were inside the car.
The women refused to speak with employees who assumed they would just leave.
"Some hours passed and the women eventually moved their car from the side of the dealership to the front of the dealership and again began to throw trash out of the windows onto the ground. At this point, the employees of the dealership called for an officer," according to a police booking affidavit.
When an officer arrived and approached the car, the two occupants were "sleeping in the fully reclined front seats of the car with the car running and towels draped over their faces," the affidavit states. "I banged loudly on the driver's window with the palm of my hand and the woman in the driver's seat sat straight up and turned toward me. She immediately laid back down and pretended to be asleep."
After continuing to ignore police, one officer opened the driver's side rear door while another opened the passenger front door. Police say the driver "sat up in her seat without a word, threw the car into drive and stomped on the gas. The car lurched forward, taking me and (the other officer) with it," the affidavit says. "She did not stop, but continued to accelerate over the curb and into the highway. (The other officer) and I were able to untangle ourselves from the doors and narrowly avoid being run over by the back tires of the car."
The officers pursued the fleeing vehicle on U.S. 89 and were able to stop it a short time later and took the two women into custody at gunpoint, according to the affidavit.
"The driver claimed she was running from gang members who wanted to sell her into the sex trade. Upon further questioning, I learned she did not know what state she was in or what day of the week it was," the officer wrote.
The driver, Clare Elizabeth Tridico, 33, of Dallas, was arrested for investigation of two counts of assault on a police officer, failing to stop for an officer, reckless driving, speeding and two counts of failing to signal. The passenger was not arrested.
