SUMMERS COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Princeton woman was arrested Friday morning after a hit-and-run investigation led to a high-speed vehicle pursuit through Hinton, according to the Summers County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a reported hit-and-run accident in the Beech Run Road area of Summers County at approximately 8:38 a.m. on Friday, October 16, 2026.
During the investigation, Sergeant Cochran and Deputy Starcher located the suspected vehicle traveling on the Temple Street Bridge in Hinton.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop and attempted to flee.
Authorities said the vehicle traveled at an extremely high rate of speed and drove the wrong direction on Summers Street, a designated one-way street, creating a danger to other motorists and pedestrians.
As the pursuit approached 8th Avenue, Sergeant Cochran positioned his patrol vehicle to prevent the driver from continuing to flee, bringing the pursuit to an end.
The driver, identified as Katelyn Neal of Princeton, was taken into custody without further incident.
Neal faces several charges, including driving while license suspended, fleeing with reckless indifference, leaving the scene of an accident, traveling the wrong way on a one-way street and operating a vehicle without registration.
The sheriff’s office reported that no injuries or damage to public property occurred as a result of the pursuit.
Sheriff Faris commended Sergeant Cochran and Deputy Starcher for their efforts in safely ending the pursuit.
The sheriff also reminded the public that fleeing from law enforcement puts innocent lives at risk and can quickly turn a routine traffic stop into a dangerous situation.
Neal is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
