She has 47 prior arrests. How is she allowed outside?

On September 7th, 2024, King County deputies responded to a vehicle theft complaint in a Washington neighborhood. The victim had been napping upstairs while someone stole his Chevy Silverado from right outside. What the deputies didn't yet know was that the thief was 33-year-old Nicole Rene Romanoff, a woman with 47 prior arrests, four felony convictions, 25 misdemeanor convictions, three active warrants, and a suspended driver's license. By the end of the day, she would have killed someone.

The chase and the crash

After stealing the truck, Romanoff drove around Thurston County searching for fentanyl. Two residents called emergency services to report a scary-looking woman entering their garages asking for the drug. When one asked her to leave, Romanoff became agitated and tried to hit her with the truck.

Deputies spotted the vehicle and initiated a pursuit. Despite spike strips hitting the truck's tires within minutes, Romanoff continued driving recklessly at high speeds through busy roads. The chase ended when she struck a car carrying three people head-on: 70-year-old Gina Munna, her sister Barbara, and Barbara's husband Bruce Clark, who had arrived in town to celebrate Barbara's birthday.