Maricopa mother charged with 10 felony counts

A Maricopa city resident charged with 10 felony counts pleaded not guilty this morning before Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Brian Rees.

Rebekah Lynn Corwin, 29, faces four felony counts of aggravated assault; four felony counts of endangerment and one felony count each of unlawful flight from an officer and resisting arrest.

The charges stem from a dramatic police chase on Feb. 15 during which Corwin plowed through multiple patrol cars in Scottsdale before her vehicle became disabled in a ditch.

Corwin’s difficulties began the night before when Maricopa police attempted to detain her for an alleged incident of road rage.

On Feb. 14, Maricopa police received a call from a concerned motorist who said that a woman had been following him for about 10 minutes. When the driver pulled to the side of the road to let her pass, she pulled behind him and parked.

The caller said his wife and children were frightened. When police arrived on scene, they asked Corwin for her driver license, insurance and other information, but she refused to comply.

When the officer asked her to step out of the car, she said, “No, who do you think you are?” and demanded to see his “metal badge.”

When the officer opened the door of Corwin’s truck, she tried to pull the door back shut. A brief struggle ensued and Corwin was able to speed away from the officer.

The officer perused the vehicle until he was directed to stop the chase as Corwin sped out of town on northbound SR 347.

The second chase began around 6 a.m. when a Scottsdale police officer observed a confused-looking Corwin and three children in a truck parked in a bank parking lot, according to Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark.

When the officer tried to check on the occupants, Corwin revved her engine and drove toward the officer, who jumped out of the way to avoid being hit.

After missing the officer, Corwin crashed into his patrol vehicle, knocking it aside, and fled onto Scottsdale Road.

A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to stop Corwin nearby at the intersection of Carefree Highway and Scottsdale Road, but Corwin plowed through the MCSO car and continued south.

Officers gave chase and followed Corwin to the community of Los Portones, near Scottsdale Road and Pinnacle Peak Road, where she crashed through the community gate.

Corwin then weaved through the community and made her way back out onto Scottsdale Road, striking a third police car and causing minor injuries to the officer in the vehicle.

A short while later, officers were able to successfully deploy stop sticks with spikes, causing the tires of the woman’s vehicle to deflate.

Clark said the Corwin continued to drive for a short distance with flat tires until she lost control and crashed into a construction trench near Terravita Drive and Scottsdale Road.

After the crash, officers pulled the woman from the truck and tased her due to her combative behavior.

Neither Corwin nor any of the children, ages 2, 4 and 11 were injured in the chase, Clark said. The two younger children were identified as Corwin’s. The 11-year-old was the child of a friend.

Corwin was initially detained for the alleged crimes, but has since posted a $10,000 bond.

According Jerry Cobb, spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Corwin has no prior arrests. If convicted on all 10 felony counts, she could face up to 21 years in prison.

Maricopa police have forwarded an additional four charges to the County Attorney for review: unlawful flight, failure to show a driver license, failure to stop at a red light and failure to use a turn signal.