A portion of Interstate 80 near Stuart was shut down temporarily Tuesday as law enforcement tried to apprehend a female subject who was running in and out of traffic.

According to the Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha the woman was randomly walking back and forth across the interstate as if she was “playing chicken” with oncoming traffic.  The woman was nearly hit by several vehicles, including a semi, before being apprehended by officers in the median.

Sergeant Mike Algreen tells Raccoon Valley Radio the woman is not from the area and one of the local churches put her up at the Stuart Economy Inn for the night.  She refused to pay for another night stay and was removed from the hotel just minutes before she headed to the interstate.

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was transported to a Des Moines hospital via Stuart Rescue for psychiatric treatment.  There are no pending charges at this time.