Preston County woman accused of fleeing from officers for 20 miles

TERRA ALTA, W.Va (WDTV) - A Preston County woman has been charged after officers said she fled for 20 miles.

Deputies were patrolling the Bruceton Mills area on Tuesday when they attempted to perform a traffic stop on a truck on Brandonville Pike, according to a criminal complaint.

The truck, being driven by Heidi Falkner, 46, of Terra Alta, led several deputies on a pursuit for approximately 20 miles and caused other vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a collision, officers said.

Court documents say deputies deployed spike strips near Terra Alta to end the pursuit. Falkner hit the spike strips and flattened all four tires on the truck.

As Falkner entered Terra Alta, she began coming to a stop. Officers passed the truck, and Falkner allegedly “sped up” and struck a patrol car before being taken into custody.

Falkner has been charged with fleeing with reckless indifference. She is being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $20,000 bond.