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Grand jury indicts Ashland woman, 75, for 112 mph police chase By Nick Morgan Updated: Nov 11, 2022 04:49 PM A A A 75-year-old Ashland woman was formally charged with a felony accusing her in a high-speed chase last Friday night through Southern Oregon that made headlines across the country. Elizabeth Katherine Essex, 75, of the 800 block of Cobblestone Court, was arraigned Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court on a grand jury indictment charging her with a felony count of attempting to elude police in a vehicle and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. The charges accuse Essex of attempting to flee Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Oregon State Police and other law enforcement in a Nov. 4 chase along southbound Interstate 5 that stretched more than 40 miles and reached speeds of 112 mph, according to police reports . One Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy testified to the grand jury, according to the indictment. The chase allegedly began near Grants Pass and ended near the south Ashland freeway exit, even after police spiked her tires “at least seven times,” according to a news advisory from the sheriff’s office. Police allege that Essex drove without tires from Central Point to Ashland — a distance of roughly 20 miles — before a sheriff’s deputy spun out the woman’s vehicle in what’s known as a Pursuit Intervention Technique or PIT maneuver. News of the high-speed chase made headlines across North America, with versions of the story picked up by Police1.com , Fox News and the Toronto Sun . Essex remained held in the Jackson County Jail as of Friday afternoon. At an initial court appearance Monday, Judge Tim Barnack ordered no early release unless Essex posts 10% bond on bail set at $50,000. Her next court appearance is a pretrial conference set for Nov. 21. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTwebeditor.