A Huntsville license plate reader helped police find a stolen Volvo XC90 within 11 minutes of the first call early Sunday, leading to a short pursuit and an arrest, the Huntsville Police Department said.
Officers say 20-year-old Maritza Cantillano Mejia of Huntsville was driving the SUV when they caught up with it. She was booked into jail on theft and eluding charges.
How the search unfolded
Officers responded around 1:44 a.m. October 25 to the 900 block of University Drive. The victim reported that someone stole a 2019 Volvo XC90 after the victim briefly left it running while going into a service station.
Witnesses told officers they saw the vehicle head west on University Drive and turn onto Pulaski Pike.
Officers put out a be-on-the-lookout alert and entered the tag number into the department’s automated license plate reader system. Officers were getting conflicting reports about which way the vehicle had gone. The system returned a confirmed, recent scan near Bob Wallace Avenue and Patton Road, which narrowed the search area.
Pursuit ends near I-565
Around 1:55 a.m., officers spotted the Volvo on Hillsboro Road and tried to pull it over. The driver refused to stop, police said, and a short chase followed. It ended near Bob Wallace Avenue and Interstate 565.
Officers took Mejia into custody without further incident. Police said she matched the description of the person who stole the vehicle.
Mejia was booked into the Madison County Jail on two charges:
- First-degree theft of property (motor vehicle)
- Felony attempting to elude a police officer
Police said the plate reader let officers focus on one precise location instead of searching along several possible routes. The department said that cut recovery time significantly and helped end the incident safely.
The charges are accusations. Court records were not part of the department’s report, and it did not say when Mejia would appear in court.