WASHINGTON COUNTY — Despite indicating in Washington County court Friday that she was prepared for trial, a 40-year-old Missouri woman elected Monday to continue her jury trial until after the first of the year on charges she shot at Centralia and Wamac police during a high-speed pursuit over the summer.

A jury was scheduled to be seated Monday in the case accusing Maria Moore of shooting at officers from the sunroof of a car being driven by 40-year-old Jared Queen, of St. Clair, Missouri, as he fired at officers from the driver’s window during a pursuit in July 2019.

The pursuit began in Centralia and continued for more than 30 minutes and through multiple jurisdictions before ending in Coulterville, in Randolph County, Illinois.

Prosecutors had filed a motion to have Queen and Moore tried together but after Queen’s defense objected the court denied the state’s motion.

Queen was then scheduled for a December 21 pretrial hearing and Moore was scheduled for a jury trial to start Monday.

On Monday Moore’s defense instead filed a motion to continue her case with a pretrial hearing in her case also being scheduled for December 21 and a jury trial scheduled for after the first of the year.

Both Queen and Moore remain in the Washington County Jail but due to the continuances in both cases being initiated by the defendants the delays do not count against the speedy trial clocks.

They each face charges that include Class X felony attempted murder for shooting at officers, and five counts each Class X felony aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace officer.