New Castle Woman Charged after Striking Patrol Vehicle

Newark - Delaware State Police are currently investigating a two vehicle personal injury accident in which a Delaware State Trooper was injured that occurred late last night on I-95 in Newark.

The investigation has determined that the incident began shortly before 10:30 p.m. last night, Thursday, February 5, 2015, after troopers were notified by the regional call center that they were receiving numerous reports of a female operating a green Ford Windstar van in a reckless manner in the area of I-95 southbound near DE Rt. 273, Newark. A trooper assigned to Troop 6, Prices Corner, was able to locate the vehicle on I-95 southbound at the Delaware Service Area and attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his emergency equipment on his fully marked patrol vehicle. However, the operator of the vehicle, later identified as Vanessa Wilson, 54, of New Castle, refused to stop and continued traveling southbound on I-95. At one point, the Windstar left the east side of the roadway and struck a guardrail, however, it continued traveling southbound. As the van neared the DE Toll Plaza, the trooper pulled in front of it in an attempt to slow the vehicle down. Wilson finally stopped her vehicle behind the patrol vehicle just north of the toll plaza. She then however, accelerated her vehicle, striking the rear of the patrol vehicle. After the collision, the trooper was able to take Wilson into custody without further incident.

The male trooper was removed from the scene by Emergency Medical Services and transported to the Christiana Hospital Trauma Center, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries. There were no other injuries.

A subsequent pat down search of Vanessa Wilson revealed that she was in possession of a small amount of crack cocaine. Wilson was then transported to Troop 6 where she was arrested and charged with Vehicular Assault 2nd Degree, Driving under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs, Failure to stop at the Command of a Police Officer, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Failure to Maintain a Lane of Travel. Bail information is not available at this time.