West Side woman takes plea deal in cruiser theft

She could receive 17 years in prison and fines totaling $40,000.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A West Side woman will be sentenced Jan. 20 for stealing a police car and committing various other crimes.
Kimberly A. Kalasky, 24, of Cherry Hill Avenue, pleaded guilty Tuesday to amended charges before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
A county grand jury indicted Kalasky on charges of failure to comply with an order from police, escape, aggravated robbery and three counts of felonious assault.
In a plea-bargained agreement, the escape charge was dismissed, the aggravated robbery count was amended to robbery, and each felonious assault count was changed to assault.
What happened
Youngstown police went to Kalasky's home July 15 on a matter regarding stolen checks. When she refused to cooperate, she was arrested on a charge of obstructing official business.
Kalasky slipped out of a handcuff and tried to stab an officer with a small knife, police said.
The officer got out of the car to avoid injury. Kalasky then crawled through a partition and climbed into the driver's seat despite being sprayed with pepper spray. The officer grabbed Kalasky and was dragged as she drove off.
She drove the cruiser onto Interstate 680, to Interstate 80 to Interstate 76 with Austintown police joining the pursuit.
Cruiser rammed others
She was accused of ramming Austintown cruisers and trying to run over police. She was caught after the cruiser rammed the back of a tractor-trailer helping with a rolling roadblock. Police said she continued to fight and break free.
Kalasky may be sentenced to as much as 17 years in prison and receive fines of up to $40,000.
She was one of six people who pleaded guilty in nine cases Tuesday during an unusually busy day in Judge Krichbaum's courtroom.