A DeKalb woman was arrested and charged Tuesday after leading police on a high-speed chase through DeKalb County, running into traffic and driving on the wrong side of the road, nearly causing multiple crashes, authorities said.

The chase also caused a brief lockdown at Sycamore High School and an elementary school, school district officials said.

DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies responded to Glidden and Wolf roads in Kingston for reports of a woman causing a disturbance. Callers said the person was yelling at passing motorists on the road, at one point leaving her own vehicle and running into traffic, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Deputies searched the area but didn’t find anyone.

Police later identified the woman as Kara L. Hale, 38, of DeKalb. Hale was charged with aggravated fleeing to elude, a Class 4 felony. She’s also charged with multiple misdemeanors and traffic citations, including misdemeanor fleeing to elude, reckless driving, disobeying a traffic control device, improper passing, failure to yield, improper lane use, failure to signal and a Scott’s Law violation.

Hale also faces two additional felony aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer charges out of Sycamore, according to a news release from the Sycamore Police Department.

If convicted of the felony, she faces up to three years in prison.

She’s being held in DeKalb County Jail without release pending trial, court records show. After an initial court appearance Wednesday, Hale was denied pretrial release by Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen.

Prosecutors with the State’s Attorney’s Office filed a motion to detain Hale, “based on her actions putting the public and community in danger,” according to the release.

Authorities said 911 calls came in that alleged the same vehicle was involved in multiple incidents involving road rage near Peace Road and Fairview Drive in DeKalb.

Deputies tracked the vehicle to Gurler Road and South Fourth Street in DeKalb, where they saw the 2007 Hyundai SUV doing burnouts – when a car stays in place, and the driver makes the wheels spin. When deputies tried to stop the vehicle, the driver, who police alleged is Hale, sped away.

Deputies pursued the SUV, which, during the chase, disobeyed traffic controls, drove recklessly, and passed vehicles in the opposite lane of traffic, nearly striking other drivers’ cars, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Due to the driver’s dangerous actions, the pursuit was terminated in the interest of public safety,” according to the sheriff’s office news release.

Deputies found the Hyundai near Sycamore High School. Hale drove toward a sheriff’s office squad car in a nearby church parking lot and then quickly drove away, authorities alleged.

Sycamore police assisted deputies, responding about 1:49 p.m., according to the department. Sycamore police said the high school and West Elementary School were briefly placed on soft lockdowns. District officials said the lockdowns lasted for about six minutes.

The Hyundai sped through roads near West Elementary School and onto West State Street near downtown. Sycamore police used tire deflation devices to flatten Hale’s front passenger-side tire.

Despite the flat tire, however, the SUV continued west before turning north on Peace Road, still speeding above the limit and attempting to pass cars coming the other way, authorities said.

But Hale eventually reached a dead end on Concord Drive in Sycamore. She got out of the SUV and fled on foot, but deputies caught up and took her into custody, according to the release.

• Shaw Local reporter Camden Lazenby contributed. This story was updated Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, with new court record information.