Woman pleads not guilty in multiple felony cases

EAU CLAIRE — A Beloit woman faces multiple felony charges after authorities accused her of endangering public safety when she fled officers.

Cassandra Sloviak, 35, faces charges of second degree recklessly endangering safety, using a vehicle to flee or elude officers, resisting officers, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, hit and run, and two counts of bail jumping.

The incident began shortly after 1 a.m. March 5, according to the criminal complaint. An officer spotted a car with two people in it at a location known for drug activity. The officer watched as the car drove off and noticed a brake light was not working properly.

The officer pulled the car over and found Sloviak behind the wheel. She had a warrant out for her arrest and was trying to avoid looking at the officer by digging around in her purse. The officer realized she was about to try to drive off and went back to his patrol car to box her in.

Sloviak drove through a yard to get away and the officer called off the chase after losing sight of her car.

Sloviak has two other open cases in Eau Claire County. One involves charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, while the other involves forgery and fraud against a financial institution.

During Monday’s arraignment, Sloviak appeared by video and entered not guilty pleas in all cases. A status conference is scheduled for Sept. 5.