A 24-year-old Summerfield woman said she ran away during a traffic stop in Ocklawaha last week because she knew she had active warrants and didn’t want to her child to see her get arrested.
Mackenzie Leigh Dewalt, of 16835 SE Terrace Road, was charged Tuesday with resisting an officer without violence, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, violating her probation, and driving without a valid license, petit theft and possession of methamphetamine. Dewalt has a half-dozen prior arrests, including one in July 2019 on charges of vehicle theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In the latest incident, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy observed Dewalt driving east on SE Highway 464C in a Chevy Tahoe, pulling a trailer without a tag attached. The deputy got into position to conduct a traffic stop before Dewalt sped up and turned left into a long driveway, according to the sheriff’s office report.
As the vehicle turned, the deputy turned on the emergency lights and conducted the traffic stop. When the deputy pulled behind Dewalt’s vehicle, she got out of the driver’s side door and started walking towards the deputy. The deputy told her to return to her vehicle but was unable to see whether she actually got back into the truck, the report said.
As the deputy approached the vehicle, Dewalt was gone. The passenger in the truck said Dewalt told him she, “had to go,” and took off north into the woods on foot. The deputy ran northbound into the woods and found Dewalt, who got on the ground and complied with the deputy’s commands, according to the report.
While walking back to the patrol car, the deputy asked Dewalt if she had anything on her that he should know about. Dewalt said there was a “little baggie of weed” in her bra. She then pulled her bra forward and a small bag of a green leafy substance fell out of her shirt. The substance tested positive for marijuana, the report said.
A computer check revealed Dewalt’s license had multiple current suspensions and was most recently canceled in January 2020. Dewalt said she did not know her license was suspended, according to the report.
Dewalt is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail and will appear in Marion County Court on May 10.
