Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
HURRICANE — A Kanawha County businesswoman is dead and a Putnam County man has been charged with felonies in the incident, which involved a two-vehicle crash near the eastbound Hurricane exit of Interstate 64 on Thursday afternoon.
Angela Born, 52, died at the scene.
Joseph Ryan Elswick, 23, of Hurricane, was arrested and charged with four felonies:
Vehicular homicide
Fleeing causing death
Fleeing with reckless indifference
Grand larceny
According to a criminal complaint obtained from Putnam County Magistrate Court, Elswick’s grandmother called 911 shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday to report that he’d stolen her red 2025 Jeep Cherokee Sport and her purse.
A Putnam County Sheriff's Office deputy located the stolen vehicle near Trace Creek, Putnam County. The deputy activated his lights and sirens, but Elswick did not stop. The deputy said Elswick was speeding up to 120 mph at one point, and swerving into oncoming traffic, according to the complaint.
The deputy followed Elswick from Trace Creek to Johns Creek and the chase briefly entered Cabell County before continuing onto Interstate 64 eastbound at Milton.
Hurricane Police set up spike strips near mile marker 34. According to the complaint, Elswick hit them and continued to flee, passing cars on the shoulder before he hit Born’s car from behind.
Officers removed Born from her vehicle as it began to catch fire and tried to revive her, but were unsuccessful, according to the complaint. The eastbound lanes of Interstate 64 east of Hurricane were shut down for hours following the incident.
"Angela and her family were dedicated strawberry producers, and we have had the joy of watching the next generation of their farm grow as her sons began developing their work as maple producers. Angela’s commitment to her family, her farm, and her community was clear in every conversation we shared," the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition said on Facebook early Friday.
Members of the West Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team were called to assist Thursday, and officers from the Winfield detachment are continuing to investigate the crash.
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