CHP: Car theft suspect arrested after hiding along Russian River, sleeping in stranger’s home

A 30-year-old Lake County woman was arrested in Jenner on Monday after she drove a stolen car down an embankment, hid from police along the Russian River and was found sleeping in a stranger’s home, the California Highway Patrol said.

Authorities began searching for the woman Sunday afternoon, after she drove a stolen Mazda 6 sedan off the side of Highway 116 between Duncans Mills and Jenner and fled on foot toward the Russian River, said CHP Officer David deRutte.

The Mazda, which had been reported stolen on Friday in Ukiah, got stuck part way down an embankment when the woman drove off the road at about 2:30 p.m., deRutte said.

Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman responded to the scene and helped search for the woman in the rain.

He said she “ran off the road, swam across the river and hid in the bushes.”

Authorities called off the search after several hours on Sunday evening.

At about 8:20 a.m. on Monday, the woman was found in a nearby home in Jenner, according to deRutte.

“She found a house to sleep in, I guess,“ deRutte said. ”There were residents inside it and they found her asleep.“

Miranda Swint was arrested on a vehicle theft charge at the house, deRutte said.

The homeowners told authorities the house had been unlocked and they declined to pursue a charge for trespassing, according to deRutte.

CHP officers took Swint to a hospital for evaluation. She was later booked into the Sonoma County Jail, deRutte said.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.