Merced woman who escaped custody captured by deputies

A woman who escaped earlier this month from the back of a California Highway Patrol vehicle in Merced was captured late Wednesday after a traffic stop on Beachwood Drive.

Stephanie L. Belden was handcuffed when she disappeared from the CHP vehicle July 7 on Motel Drive. A CHP officer initially stopped Belden for driving erratically in a stolen vehicle, Officer Moises Onsurez said.

Belden, 33, was driving another stolen vehicle when she was stopped about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday by a Merced County sheriff’s deputy at Beachwood Drive and Dan Ward Road, Onsurez said.

The reason for Wednesday’s traffic stop was not clear.

During the July 7 traffic stop, an unidentified man, who was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Belden, ran from the officers and remains at large, officers said.

The man has not been identified and officers have described him only as a Latino male in his 30s.

Belden was arrested on two counts of stolen vehicle possession, falsely identifying herself to a peace officer, possession of stolen property, escaping custody and violating her probation, Onsurez said.

She remained in custody Thursday at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility on $111, 000 bail, according to booking records.

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 23, 2015 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Merced woman who escaped custody captured by deputies."