GUNNISON, Utah — A woman was arrested over the weekend in Gunnison after dragging police officers with her car and then claiming she was running from being brought into the sex trade.
Clare Tridico, 33, faces multiple charges from Saturday's incident, including assault on a peace officer, reckless driving and speeding.
According to the arrest documents, Tridico and a female passenger were seen in a Dodge Dart parked outside a car dealership with trash around the vehicle. When employees asked the women to move, they refused and left the trash, leaving it to the dealership employees to clean up.
Hours later, the women moved the car to the front of the dealership where officers found them asleep in the Dodge with towels over their faces.
When an officer with the Gunnison Valley Police Department pounded on the car window to get Tridico's attention, she sat up, turned towards the deputy, and then pretended to go back asleep.
Seeing the back door was unlocked, the officer went into the car and pulled the towel off Tridico's face, while a Sanpete County Sheriff's Office deputy did the same through the passenger door. At that point, the report says Tridico "stomped on the gas," dragging the officer and deputy with the car and refusing to stop as she accelerated over a curb and onto the highway.
The officers were able to free themselves and "narrowly avoid being run over by the back tires of the car," according to the arrest documents. Tridico sped off with the two officers in pursuit.
When Tridico was boxed in, the officers ordered her and the passenger out of the Dodge at gunpoint and both were taken into custody.
Tridico told the officer "she was running from gang members who wanted to sell her into the sex trade." Later, the officer noted that Tridico, a Texas resident, was unaware that she was in Utah or which day of the week it was.
Both Tridico and the passenger were taken to the hospital for mental and physical evaluations. After being medically cleared, the passenger was released while Tridico was arrested.
