Woman leads police on chase, Charles Town Police cruiser flipped; suspect in custody

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — A Berkeley County woman who was out on bail for a DUI is now back in jail, this time facing a number of charges including attempted murder.

Janice Marie Settle, 43, is in the Eastern Regional Jail in lieu of $750,000 bond following a high speed car chase that took place Tuesday on US 340 in Jefferson County.

A listener who heard the incident going out over the scanner tells the Panhandle News Network speeds reportedly exceeded 100 miles an hour during the chase which started on the Rt. 9 Bypass near Curry Road and continued on to Rt. 340 south.

A Charles Town Police cruiser flipped three times after making contact with the fleeing vehicle.

One witness reports seeing the officer get out of the vehicle following the crash on US 340. Charles Town Police Chief Christopher Kutcher says the officer involved in the crash is “doing well.”

Police were able to apprehend Settle in the area of Crosswinds Drive off Rt. 115.

Settle faces numerous charges including Attempted Murder, Fleeing/DUI, Malicious Assault of an Officer, Destruction of Property, Fleeing in a Vehicle with Reckless Indifference to the Safety of Others, and Fleeing with Reckless Indifference.

Settle had been arrested on a DUI charge in Berkeley County 10 days prior to Tuesday’s crash. Settle posted $2,000 bond following her July 5 arrest on a charge of DUI causing bodily injury.

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