Brooksville woman with 12 license suspensions arrested again
BROOKSVILLE –
A deputy said he saw a familiar driver zoom past him Sunday afternoon in a silver Ford Mustang.
Hernando County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Brooks turned on his lights and she pulled over along Oakcrest Street, but she changed her mind about willfully surrendering and accelerated before Brooks could walk up to her window, according to an arrest affidavit.
Brooks recognized the suspect immediately as Brittany Megan Gariepy. He said he recognized her because of her notorious driving record. She has had her license suspended 12 times, revoked three times and canceled once, he wrote in his report.
Brooks didn’t chase her, but about 90 minutes later the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office arrested her at a massage business along Spring Hill Drive, according to an arrest affidavit.
Deputies said they found a set of keys to the Ford Mustang in a potted plant in the bathroom of the business. The car itself was located outside the nearby Kohl’s store.
Brooks said his computer checks revealed the 24-year-old Gariepy had a 60-month revocation of her license in April 2009 for habitual traffic violations and another revocation in October of that same year for fleeing law enforcement.
Another deputy at the scene found a zippered purse inside a trash can at the massage business and inside of it were two spoons with burn marks on the bottom, according to the sheriff’s office.
Several hypodermic needles and small plastic bags also were found in the purse, deputies said.
She was patted down before being transported to the Hernando County Jail, but nothing illegal was found on her, according to another affidavit.
While at the jail, detention deputies discovered a small bag of methamphetamine in Gariepy’s hair, they said.
In addition to her suspended license and fleeing charges, Gariepy also was booked Sunday on counts of possession of contraband at the jail, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Her bond was set at $12,000 and she remained behind bars as of Monday afternoon.
Court records revealed Gariepy was arrested in March 2009 and sentenced to a couple months in jail.
The arrest took place at the corner of Winter Street and State Road 50, at which time deputies had to use a stun gun to subdue her, according to news accounts.
She wound up serving a year in prison after violating the terms of her sentence following an arrest in May 2009 on charges of retail theft and driving on a suspended license.
In that instance, Gariepy was arrested at the 7-Eleven at the corner of Wiscon Road and S.R. 50 after she stuffed a pickled sausage inside her pants and walked out of the store.
She was arrested outside the 7-Eleven and deputies said they discovered a glass pipe with drug residue when they searched the suspect’s vehicle. She was subsequently convicted of retail theft and paraphernalia charges.
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