Prostitute accused of leading police on a chase with tow truck stolen from john
By LORI WEISS and ISRAL DeBRUIN

Posted: Apr. 20, 2009 2:58 p.m.

A 25-year-old woman who told police she works as a prostitute on the south side is accused of stealing a tow truck from one of her customers and leading police on a mile-long chase that ended after she drove the truck onto a bike path and then off the path down a 15-foot embankment.

According to Greenfield and South Milwaukee police:

Jacquelyn Robellar of Milwaukee, who said she is a prostitute who works on Lincoln Avenue, told police she was picked up by a man in a tow truck at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday to have sex in exchange for money. The two then went to the Hideaway Motel, 5105 S. 27th St. in Greenfield, where they began doing large amounts of cocaine and had sex.

She told police she had some type of seizure and the man then punched her in the face. However, the man told police he caught the woman trying to steal his wallet. The woman then ran out of the room and drove off in his tow truck toward South Milwaukee.

She stopped to ask for directions at Speedway, 3102 S. Chicago Ave., South Milwaukee, where she told a clerk that she had just stolen a truck. The clerk called police, who responded to the scene and then left to search for the truck.

When the officer spotted the truck in the 1500 block of East Drexel Boulevard in Oak Creek, he attempted at traffic stop. The truck slowed, finally stopping in the 900 block of East Drexel Avenue. The officer drew his gun and took four steps toward the truck before it pulled away from the curb, accelerating rapidly.

The officer followed the truck as it turned into a driveway and continued through a yard in the 600 block of East Drexel Avenue. The truck then turned sharply northbound onto the Oak Leaf Trail.

The truck swerved along the bike path, reaching estimated speeds of 40 mph, before swerving wildly before falling down a 15 foot embankment.

The driver exited the car and attempted to flee. The officer again drew his weapon and ordered the woman to stop, which she did.

The woman initially told police she wanted to file battery charges against the man, but changed her mind when Greenfield officers arrived and began asking questions about the prostitution interaction at the motel.

The woman was charged on Thursday by the Milwaukee County District Attorney for fleeing police, and she also received citations for operating while intoxicated, operating after suspension, operating without the owner's consent, damage to property and fleeing an officer.

Three tow trucks from two different companies were needed to pull the stolen tow truck up from the embankment.

Damage to the truck was estimated at $150. Damage to the shrubbery around the bike path was estimated at $500.

The woman was treated for minor injuries at Aurora St. Luke's Hospital.

The man told police he would never hire a prostitute again.