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In a concerning incident that unfolded in Hawthorne, Florida, 36-year-old Karlina Ana Maricic from Ft. McCoy found herself in legal trouble after a series of alleged reckless actions on April 6. Maricic was arrested following accusations of driving under the influence with a young child in the vehicle and later allegedly assaulting a deputy during her medical evaluation.
At approximately 5:17 p.m., the Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the vicinity of SE 166th Street and SE U.S. Hwy 301. Alarmed citizens had reported a gray Toyota Highlander traveling northward at an alarming speed of about 100 mph. Witnesses noted the vehicle was unable to maintain its lane and a child was visible in the back seat.
Upon locating the vehicle in the 10500 block of SE U.S. Hwy 301, deputies discovered Maricic in the driver’s seat with the engine still running. Alarmingly, a 5-year-old child was in the back seat, not properly secured. The vehicle exhibited significant damage, including a missing front right fender, which aroused further suspicion among the officers.
Eyewitness accounts provided more context to the situation. One observer remarked that the Highlander was intact the previous day, while another recounted seeing the vehicle careening into bushes in the Lochloosa area at a high speed. These details painted a troubling picture of the day’s events and added to the gravity of the charges against Maricic.
A witness reportedly told a deputy that the car had no damage the previous day. Another witness said the Highlander had driven into some bushes in the Lochloosa area at a high rate of speed.
A deputy noted the strong smell of an alcoholic beverage from Maricic’s breath and reported that her speech was slurred.
A third witness, who was a former FHP Trooper, told deputies that when he found the Highlander stopped in the middle of a travel lane near SE 131st Lane, he took Maricic’s keys from her hand in an attempt to keep her from driving, but she was still able to drive away.
A fourth witness provided cell phone video that showed the Highlander swerving between lanes, and a fifth witness reported that the driver of the Highlander was operating her vehicle in a careless manner, swerving between lanes.
Maricic reportedly refused to perform field sobriety tests and refused to provide a breath test at the scene.
Maricic was transported to an emergency room for medical clearance, and when she realized she was going to jail, she allegedly began resisting deputies; she allegedly grabbed the cords from a nearby medical device and tried to strangle herself until deputies took the cords from her.
Maricic allegedly started kicking her legs and kicked a deputy in the thigh. After she was restrained, she allegedly kicked the deputy in the chin. At that point, deputies applied a rip hobble.
While at the hospital, Maricic reportedly said several times that she had not been drinking and driving, and she requested a lawyer multiple times.
At the jail, Maricic was offered the option of consenting to a urine test instead of a breath test, but she allegedly refused all tests.
Maricic has been charged with two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, child neglect without great bodily harm, driving under the influence, and DUI with refusal to submit to testing. She has no local criminal history; Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $145,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.Â