Woman arrested and charged after mail truck stolen from Olds, Alta.

RCMP say an Olds, Alta., woman stole a truck from the town's post office on Dec. 20 and tried to escape with it. (Supplied/RCMP)

A woman from Olds is facing a number of charges after police say she was caught stealing a mail truck right out from under the nose of a Canada Post employee.

RCMP say at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, a worker at the Canada Post office in the central Alberta community had left their vehicle to unlock a door when an unidentified woman jumped into the truck and drove away.

A short time later, police located the truck leaving town limits, heading south on Highway 2A.

Officers called for help and the Didsbury RCMP deployed a spike strip in an attempt to stop the suspect.

Instead of surrendering, the suspect turned the truck and headed eastbound on Township Road 320 for several kilometres before coming to a stop.

However, the suspect wasn't quite done evading them, officials said.

"As RCMP closed in on the truck, the driver reversed the truck and backed into a RCMP car," police said in a statement.

"The driver then lurched forward and drove into the south ditch and became hopelessly stuck in the snow. Despite this, the driver continued to rev the engine and spin the tires for quite some time."

The woman was subsequently arrested and the contents of the truck were recovered.

Police say the RCMP cruiser sustained $7,000 in damage when it was hit by the postal truck.

Jamie Kruse, 46, of Olds, is charged with dangerous driving, possession of stolen property over $5,000, resisting arrest and breaching the conditions of her probation.