Authorities seek two who ran from officers in Merced

Two people escaped arrest Tuesday in Merced, including a woman who disappeared from a California Highway Patrol vehicle while handcuffed, officials reported.

Authorities are searching for a man and a woman. The man was described only as a Latino adult in his mid-30s, wearing a dark-gray hooded sweatshirt.

The female was identified as 33-year-old Stephanie Lorraine Belden of Merced. She was last seen wearing blue Capri-style pants and a dark shirt. She was wearing handcuffs when she got away, but may have been able to slip out of them, CHP officers said.

She was described by investigators as 5 feet tall, weighing about 130 pounds with blue eyes.

The incident began around 7 a.m. when officers made a traffic stop on a vehicle on Motel Drive, near several fast-food restaurants. Officers spotted the vehicle, a Toyota Solara, heading south on Highway 99 at about 88 mph, Officer Moises Onsurez said.

Investigators learned the Toyota had recently been reported stolen out of Merced, officers said.

The man, who was a passenger in the vehicle, ran from the stop and the woman was placed in handcuffs and put in the back of a CHP vehicle, Onsurez said.

“The officer was taking inventory of the (stolen) vehicle and, when he turned back around, the (patrol) vehicle’s door was open and she was outstanding,” Onsurez said.

While police were searching for the man, the woman somehow managed to escape the vehicle and disappeared. Exactly how she was able to get out of the vehicle remained unclear, officers said.

Investigators searched the area of Childs Avenue, Yosemite Boulevard and Motel Drive, near Highway 99, Onsurez said.

Merced police and Merced County sheriff’s deputies assisted with the search, which also including planes, helicopters and canines.

The search was eventually called off around 12:30 p.m., officers said, but both people remain wanted by authorities.

According to Merced County jail records, Belden has been arrested numerous times since 2013 on a variety of theft-related charges. She was last arrested June 19 on suspicion of vehicle theft, according to records.

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Authorities seek two who ran from officers in Merced."