Woman charged in traffic crash that damaged downtown KC building

A woman with a history of leading police on high-speed pursuits was charged Monday with fleeing from officers last month and crashing into a building near downtown Kansas City.

Sinead T. Lynch, 38, of Overland Park, allegedly was driving a stolen car with police in pursuit on Nov. 20 when the car careened into a building at 18th and Oak streets, causing the building to partially collapse.

She had been released from prison in October after serving a 120-day sentence stemming from another chase earlier this year in which numerous drivers and pedestrians nearly were struck, according to court records.

And according to court and prison records in Florida, Lynch amassed a lengthy record of charges there involving stolen vehicles, driving without a license and fleeing from police, including an incident in 2007 in which police officers nearly were struck and several houses were damaged.

On Monday, Jackson County prosecutors charged Lynch with tampering with a motor vehicle, fleeing from a lawful police stop and careless and imprudent driving in connection with the Nov. 20 incident.

According to court documents, she was driving a Nissan SUV that was reported stolen from a motel in Kansas City, North, early that morning.

Kansas City police spotted it later that morning near 12th Street and Benton Boulevard and saw it run several red lights, according to the charges.

Officers tried to pull the driver over, but she refused to stop. At 11th and Oak streets in downtown, police saw the vehicle drive onto the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to scramble to avoid being hit.

The driver continued south on Oak, driving in the northbound lanes at a “high rate of speed” before losing control and crashing into the brick building on the corner of 18th and Oak, causing an estimated $300,000 in damage, according to court documents.

In May, Lynch was charged with resisting arrest after another chase that started near 21st Street and Benton Boulevard. According to court documents in that case, she allegedly ran several stop signs and nearly hit two workers in a construction zone. After officers discontinued the chase, a police helicopter followed the car and reported that several other motorists had to take evasive action to avoid collisions.

Lynch was arrested after stopping at a convenience store. She later pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to resisting arrest and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to court records. She was placed on probation after serving 120 days.

After the Nov. 20 incident, prosecutors filed a motion seeking to revoke her probation in that case.

In the 2007 Florida incident, Lynch was sentenced to two years in prison after a chase in which a van she allegedly was driving ran red lights, struck several houses and forced two police officers to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

This story was originally published December 1, 2014 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Woman charged in traffic crash that damaged downtown KC building."