A woman from Sarasota County was arrested after a long chase in the early hours of Tuesday. It started when a deputy saw Jennifer Schmitz not stopping at a stop sign.
When the lights and sirens turned on, deputies went through two roundabouts, driving on the sidewalk in the middle.
For safety reasons, they stopped the pursuit near a third roundabout. However, Schmitz crashed into a light pole and ran away on foot.
The officer turned on the lights again, left the patrol car, and chased Schmitz on foot. She went into the woods, and the officer lost sight of her among the trees.
Law enforcement set up a perimeter and brought in a K-9 unit, but the dog couldn’t find her. At that point, deputies heard a woman’s voice coming from the woods.
Schmitz then approached the officers, wearing only a bra. She claimed she was asleep and naked in the backseat, and her friend “Teresa” was driving.
However, Teresa had warrants for her arrest and ran away. Schmitz said the sandals found on the driver’s side were hers, and deputies didn’t find any evidence of another woman in the vehicle.
Also, a test suggested Schmitz might be under the influence of drugs. When asked, she admitted to having smoked cocaine at 5 p.m. the previous night and might still be affected.
Deputies first took Schmitz to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, then to jail, where she was booked without any further issues.
