A woman who lives at Del Webb Spruce Creek was arrested for lying about her name when she was spotted cutting across a yard with a bicycle to avoid law enforcement.
A deputy observed 24-year-old Destiney Gail Matthews on a red bicycle carrying a large blue bag heading east on Sunset Harbor Road at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. She saw his patrol vehicle and immediately cut down the driveway of a home East Sunset Harbor Road in Summerfield.
The deputy pulled over on the shoulder of the road to see Matthews go down the driveway and get off her bicycle. She walked around the back of the residence, which took about a minute. The deputy observed her walk her bicycle toward the east side of the residence which had a metal barbwire fence, the report said.
The residence had fencing around the entire perimeter with a back gate to the property. The gate also shut and had no paths running through the property. Matthews did not take any direct path to cut through the property and went the opposite way to walk around the residence, the report said.
The deputy approached Matthews and asked if she lived at the residence. She stated she knew the owners, and they let her cut through the property. She normally cut through the property and lifted her bicycle over the barbwire fence to get to the street where her mother lived, the report said.
The deputy asked Matthews to identify herself, but she did not want to give her name due to her not doing anything wrong. She advised that she did not have any identification on her person, had never been issued a driver’s license and did not know her government issued ID number. The deputy then asked her to go to the residence to confirm she had permission to be on the property and back yard, the report said.
Contact was made with the owner of the residence who said he did not know Matthews and had never seen her before. Matthews told the property owner that a woman by the name of “Jessica” said she could cut across the property. The property owner denied knowing anyone by that name who gave her permission to be on her property, the report said.
The deputy told Matthews she was detained and not free to leave because of his reasonable suspicion based on her actions that theft was about to happen. He again asked for her name, and she did not want to give it. So, he asked her to walk to her patrol vehicle, and more back-up deputies were requested, the report said.
Matthews continued refusing to give her name, claiming she was 17 years old, and he needed to talk to her mother. She was notified that if she did not identify herself, she would be placed under arrest. She then gave a false name and birthdate, the report said.
Matthews then got on the phone with her mother who also did not know her government issued ID number. She stated she would need to go back home to get the information for law enforcement, the report said.
The deputy contacted dispatch and gave them the name Matthews provided. No record came back, so another deputy responded to the scene and scanned her fingerprint. This revealed her true name and date of birth, the report said.
Using this information, dispatch revealed Matthews had multiple warrants out of Sumter County for two charges of dealing in stolen property, two charges of petit theft, possession of heroin and possession of paraphernalia, the report said.
When asked whose name she provided, Matthews stated it was her mother’s last name. She did not tell law enforcement her real name because she was afraid, the report said.
Matthews was subsequently arrested on charge of false ID given to law enforcement officer in addition to the charges from the warrants. She was transported to Marion County Jail to be held without bond.