A Lawrence woman who was accused of stealing purses and fled police in Salem, NH on Saturday had her 12-year-old daughter in the car when she struck another vehicle at a Mobil gas station. She was arrested and is now facing 11 charges, including reckless conduct, theft, disobeying a police officer, reckless operation, and endangering the welfare of a child. In addition, the Eagle Tribune reported today that her bail was doubled from $50,000 to $100,000 due to her lengthy criminal history.
Maria Molina, 36, of Lawrence, Mass. told Judge Michael Jones during her arraignment in Salem District Court yesterday that she was under the influence of drugs when she stole the three purses and engaged in a high-speed police chase.
According to the police, they received a third report on Saturday evening of a purse stolen from a shopping cart at a Market Basket store by a woman in a pink shirt, driving a red car with Massachusetts plates with a young girl as her passenger. The previous reports were of stolen purses at Walmart and Target parking lots.
In all three cases the woman fled the scene in her car, however Salem police that responded to the Market Basket report noticed a red Mercury Sable with Mass. plates heading north on South Broadway. The driver fit the witness description, so police signalled the driver to stop. Instead, Molina took off on Rockingham Park Boulevard at high speed, police said.
In a frantic chase, she rand a red light and passed a vehicle on Mall Road, continuing through another red light at speeds of 45 to 50 mph. She then drove west on Pleasant Street taking an abrupt right turn and cutting through a Mobil gas station. In her haste she struck a vehicle at the gas station. That did not stop her though, and she continued to flee, striking a Mustang GT on South Policy Street. As Molina hit the rear of the car on the driver’s side, her car went sideways across both lanes of the street and crashed into a telephone pole before it coming to a rest in a small embankment off Point A Road, police said.
Police charged Molina with 11 charges including reckless conduct, theft, disobeying a police officer, reckless operation, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Molina has a previous criminal history including 12 outstanding warrants in Lawrence District Court from 2006 on charges of larceny, leaving the scene of an accident and criminal threatening. According to the prosecutor in the case, Robert Prince, Molina was also suspected of stealing purses in Salem in May, 2010. Based on her previous record, Judge Jones went beyond the prosecutor’s initial request for the bail to remain at $50,000 (set by a bail commissioner after Molina’s arrest on Saturday) to a new bail of $100,000 cash.
Molina is scheduled for a probable cause hearing next week.
