Woman holding blowtorch allegedly leads deputies on chase in graffiti-covered school bus
02/07/2023 4:52 pm PST
COVINGTON, La. (TCD) -- A Florida woman was arrested after she reportedly held a blowtorch, then got into a pursuit on the highway with law enforcement agencies while driving a school bus.
According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday, Feb. 7, just before 6 a.m., Natalie Jarvis reportedly went into a gas station wielding a blowtorch and said she was "looking for the local Department of Children and Family Services Office" in the area. Employees at the gas station in Mandeville called the Sheriff’s Office and said the woman was driving a "school bus covered in graffiti" with Virginia license plates.
Deputies located the school bus on Highway 190 near a Walmart and engaged in a pursuit. The bus eventually crashed into a fence at St. Scholastica Academy, and deputies took Jarvis into custody.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said the pursuit ended "with little damage and no injuries."
Investigators reportedly believe Jarvis was living at a state park in the bus for the last month. A man who allegedly resided with her in the vehicle was recently arrested on domestic abuse charges. His name was not released.
According to the statement, deputies located a blowtorch inside the bus.
Photos shared by the Covington Police Department show the words "sex trafficking awareness" on one side of the bus.
St. Tammany Parish Jail records show Jarvis is being held on charges of flight from officer, hit and run, simple criminal damage to property, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, aggravated obstruction of highway of commerce, terrorizing, and carrying a firearm or dangerous weapon by students.
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