UPDATE: Arizona Woman Receives Child Neglect Charge After Beckham County Pursuit

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April 19, 2021

By News Director Jared Atha

More details released surrounding the arrest of an Arizona woman who led multiple agencies on a high speed pursuit in Beckham County last week.

According to court documents filed last Wednesday, 25-year-old Jeniffer Maria Jimenez-Vargas of Buckeye, Arizona was arrested on the morning of April 11th and charged with one felony count of endangering others while eluding or attempting to elude police and three counts of child neglect after it was discovered at the end of the pursuit that there were three children in the car.

The probable cause affidavit said that while monitoring east bound traffic on Interstate 40 at mile marker 8, a Beckham County Deputy clocked the suspect’s vehicle going 100 miles per hour with his radar gun. The deputy initiated a traffic stop but at the 14 mile marker determined the suspect had no intention in pulling over or slowing down. During the pursuit a lieutenant with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife joined the chase along with another member of the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office.

The report stated that at the 43 mile marker between Elk City and Canute, the vehicle would crash into the cable barriers in the interstate’s median. Shortly after the crash the suspect would exit the vehicle, but proceeded to return back to the wrecked car in an attempt to retrieve something. The woman was quickly arrested, and that’s when authorities discovered three children were in the car. The youngest, a 1-year-old, was found hanging over the driver’s seat with its feet strapped to the car seat that was not attached to anything. The report said two young boys, a 4 and 6-year-old were also found in the back seat. All three children were examined by Elk City EMS and all appeared to be uninjured in the crash. The driver refused treatment at the scene.

Jimenez-Vargas was transported and booked into the Beckham County Jail. Her bond was set at $100,000.

Her first court date is scheduled for May 24.