Burglary suspect steals police cruiser and flees scene, police say

A woman who had been detained in South Portland after a burglary on Sunday night managed to steal a police cruiser and take off on Interstate 95 before officers eventually tracked her down in Biddeford, police say.

It’s the second car Alexis N. Irving, 29, is accused of stealing that night. She is charged with more than 10 crimes and civil traffic infractions, including theft by unauthorized taking, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, criminal speeding and operating under the influence, South Portland police said.

Officers first detained Irving shortly after 11 p.m. while responding to a disturbance call at 350 Clarks Pond Parkway in South Portland, police said. When officers arrived, a male suspect ran off and Irving was found standing near a vehicle that they later determined had been stolen during a home burglary in Biddeford that day.

They put her in the back seat of a police cruiser while they continued to investigate the scene. Inside the car, Irving was able to loosen her restraints, climb through a small partition separating the back of the cruiser from the driver’s seat, start the car and drive off, police said.

Police used the cruiser’s GPS to track her to a home in Biddeford, where she was arrested. The vehicle was not damaged, police said.

The second suspect was found later and identified as Wesley A. Fournell, 47. He faces several criminal charges, including receiving stolen property, violation of conditions of release and possession of schedule W drugs.