Alaska woman busted after stealing police car with husband handcuffed inside

An Alaska woman accused of stealing a police car with her husband handcuffed in the back seat faces several charges including theft and hindering prosecution, troopers said on Friday.

The woman slipped into the patrol's car and drove off on Wednesday while a state trooper was engaged with a passing motorist on an unrelated topic, a trooper dispatch report said.

Authorities found the car not far from where it was stolen in Big Lake, a tiny lakeside community of 3,500 people about 65 miles (104 km) northwest of Anchorage.

The following day troopers arrested Amber Watford, 28, and Joshua Watford 38, in a home about 45 miles (72 km) north of Anchorage in Wasilla, the report said.

Joshua Watford had been first arrested in Big Lake on Wednesday for failure to appear at court-ordered, alcohol-related classes from a previous driving under the influence charge, State Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

It was not long after his arrest that Watford's wife made off with the patrol car and the couple remained at-large for about 30 hours, the trooper report said.

No one else was charged in connection with the incident, Peters said.

(Reporting by Steve Quinn in Juneau; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Sandra Maler)