Woman steals jail van with surprised passenger in backseat, Washington police say

BELLINGHAM – A 27-year-old woman stole a jail van and took off with a surprised passenger in the back, Washington deputies said.

Rebecca Tupuola was in custody on theft charges out of King County when she drove off in a transport van at about 9:50 a.m. Monday near Bowers Field airport, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Another inmate happened to be sitting in the back of the vehicle, deputies said, as multiple local agencies responded to try and find Tupuola.

The inmate found a cellphone in the van and called 911 at 10:17 a.m.

He said Tupuola dropped him off at a field, according to deputies.

The inmate told authorities he saw her go into a home, return with cash and hide in a treeline, deputies said.

Deputies said they pinged the cellphone’s location, found Tupuola and arrested her.

The van had been “parked for a routine transfer of inmates between King County and other jails,” the post said.

“Tupuola’s transport to King County has been delayed, and she is now booked at the Kittitas County Jail,” deputies said.

She may face charges of escape, theft of a motor vehicle and burglary in Kittitas County, deputies said.

Bowers Field airport is in Ellensburg in central Washington.