A routine traffic stop turned into an hour long game of hide-and-seek when police discovered the driver had a bench warrant issued for her arrest, the Auburn Police Department said.

Andrea S. Springstead, 29, of Auburn, is accused of fleeing from an officer in her white 2005 Dodge Durango after he stopped her on Grant Avenue at 12:30 p.m., police said. The officer did not immediately pursue Springstead because he did not want to endanger her three children who were in the car with her.

While new charges are pending, Springstead was wanted in Auburn City Court in connection with a third-degree misdemeanor forgery charge that she pleaded guilty to on Aug. 26, 2007. Springstead was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $40 fine.

After law enforcement officials from the state police, Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, and the APD searched several nearby neighborhoods and outlying townships, Springstead was peacefully apprehended by a Department of Environmental Conservation officer at the Nice N Easy gas station on the corner of routes 5 & 20 and 90 at 1:30 p.m., police said.

No one was injured during the incident and the children were picked up by a family member.