A woman faces multiple charges and a sheriff’s deputy was hurt slightly after a 20-mile high-speed chase on the back roads of Hardwick and Wolcott on Sunday night.
Annisa Geno, 44, who has lived in Morrisville and Hardwick, has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, grossly negligent driving, attempting to elude police, leaving the scene of an accident and aggravated assault on a police officer.
Geno pleaded not guilty to all charges when she was arraigned Monday in Caledonia District Court. She was released without bail, based on her ties to the area and her lack of a criminal record.
Police said the case began when Lamoille County Sheriff’s Deputy Nathan Wolfe investigated a report that a silver sedan had gone off School Street in Wolcott, careened across a lawn, damaging property and nearly hitting a house before driving away.
Wolfe spotted the car at 10:33 p.m. on Kate Brook Road in Hardwick and began pursuing it, radioing ahead to Hardwick police. However, the car maneuvered around a Hardwick police cruiser, and a multi-car pursuit ensued as police tailed Geno over 20 miles of paved and dirt roads in both Wolcott and Hardwick.
“They did all kinds of loops on the dirt roads that connect Wolcott and Hardwick,” said Lt. Paul Duquette of the sheriff’s department. Vermont State Police and Morristown police eventually joined the chase as well.
According to police, the chase, which at times reached speeds of 70 mph, eventually entered Hardwick village. Spike strips were deployed several times, aiming to puncture the silver sedan’s tires, but Geno kept on going, police said.
What slowed down Geno’s Volvo was a collision with Wolfe’s police SUV. “They hit driver’s side corner to driver’s side corner,” Duquette said, which he believes snapped the steering wheel and column around, causing Wolfe’s injuries — a sprained wrist and back injuries.
Geno was able to drive a bit farther before running over spike strips and eventually coming to a stop on Vermont Avenue, where she was taken into custody at 11:11 p.m.
According to police, roadside tests showed her blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
A WCAX-TV reporter said Geno was openly bragging outside the courtroom about taking police down every back road in town and that she wasn’t drunk enough to fall for investigators questions. However, she declined a TV interview.
Wolfe was taken to Copley Hospital, treated for his injuries and then sent home. Duquette expected him back at work this week.
Duquette estimated that Wolfe’s police SUV had between $5,000 and $10,000 in damage, and a Hardwick police cruiser was also damaged during the chase.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be proactive. Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.