Lemoore councilmember arrested after leading officers on high-speed chase

Lemoore City Councilmember Holly Blair is accused of speeding around the police parking lot then leading officers on a high-speed chase and resisting arrest – all while carrying a child in the back seat of her car Wednesday afternoon.

According to a police news release, officers were in the rear parking lot of the Lemoore Police Department around 2:15 p.m. when a red 2008 Honda Pilot drove into the lot at a high rate of speed.

Officers shouted for the vehicle to stop but instead the driver, identified as Blair, 37, drove to the end of the parking lot, made a turn within the parking lot, and accelerated at a high rate of speed.

As officers continued to shout, they turned their directives to other officers to get their attention as they were in the path of the speeding vehicle.

The Honda continued eastbound at a fast speed on West Cinnamon Drive, passing through stop-signed intersections with the juvenile spotted in the back seat. The relation of the juvenile to Blair was not immediately known.

The vehicle then stopped on West Cinnamon Drive near North Lemoore Avenue.

Blair was given multiple verbal commands but did not comply, according to the news release.

She was arrested and booked at the Kings County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, evading a peace officer, reckless driving, child endangerment and resisting arrest.

Her bail was set to $195,000. She remained in custody Thursday midday.

Police said the case remains under investigation.

This isn’t the first run-in Blair has had with Lemoore police.

Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson, Police Chief Darrell Smith and Assistant Police Chief Margarita Ochoa had filed a temporary restraining order against Blair to prevent her from making future critical comments concerning them or the city on Jan. 31, according to a story from Our Valley Voice newspaper.

But the restraining order was denied without prejudice and an agreement was made between both parties to no longer say disparaging remarks about each other, according to the story.

This story was originally published June 5, 2019 at 7:07 PM.