A Winter Garden woman was arrested for causing a three-car crash while DUI, after which she spit and kicked at officers.
Officers responded to a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of Citrus Tower and North Ridge Boulevards at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department. A detective had determined that 48-year-old SN sped through a red light and struck another vehicle. The impact caused this vehicle to roll until it hit a third vehicle.
While the crash was being investigated, one of the officers watched N get out of her vehicle. She was very unsteady on her feet and stumbled around the scene. She began to walk around the other drivers involved in the accident and apologized for what happened, the report said.
Her behavior and the strong odor of alcohol gave law enforcement and others on scene the impression that she was under the influence. A short time later, she was asked if she would participate in field sobriety exercises. She hesitated at first and asked some questions but eventually agreed to do them, the report said.
The officer continued to smell alcohol as N did the exercises, and she was unable to stand up straight during all of them. Another officer had to stand behind her to make sure she did not fall on the ground. They then concluded she was under the influence and went to place her in handcuffs, the report said.
However, N resisted and pulled away. Two officers had one of her arms and tried to put her hands behind her back, but she tried to walk away while saying “no.” They brought her to the ground as a result, and she tucked her hands under her body as she laid face down, the report said.
The officers ultimately got her handcuffed, and she continued to resist when they tried to put her in the back of a patrol vehicle. After a brief struggle, they got her in. She kicked the side of the back door, and the officer watched it “bow out” as they stood next to it. They opened the door to see what was going on, yet she was extremely uncooperative and did not listen to instructions, the report said.
Her actions led them to use two sets of handcuffs, leg restraints and a soft cushion helmet so she would not smack her head onto anything anymore. She spit directly in an officer’s face during this process, so a spit mask was used, as well. She continued to be extremely combative and uncooperative the entire way to Lake County Jail, the report said.
N refused to take a breath test once there, so the officers brought her to Waterman ER, located at 1000 Waterman Wy., Tavares, to be medically cleared before being accepted to the jail. Once there, they had to carry her in due to her lifting her legs and refusing to walk. She screamed, acted out and tried to leave the room multiple times, the report said.
She was ultimately handcuffed to a bed to keep her from leaving, during which she tried to punch but successfully kicked an officer in the neck. They moved her cuffs behind her back for the remainder of her stay in the hospital. She asked multiple times why she was arrested, saying it could not be for DUI because she did not blow. When talking about her charges, she stated she wished she had spit on the officer speaking to her, the report said.
The doctors and hospital staff tried to give medical services to N, but she refused further treatment and was released from their care. She again refused to walk to the police car and even said she was going to make this very hard for law enforcement. She was carried to the car, refusing to get in until she was forced, the report said.
N was charged with two counts of DUI with property damage, two counts of battery on law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence. The Missouri native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $16,000 bond.
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Source: Leesburg-news
