A Silver Springs woman with a dozen previous arrests grabbed a set of handcuffs from a deputy and withstood a jolt from a taser before finally being subdued and arrested early Monday morning.
Krystal Lorraine Knirsch, 40, was charged with battery on an officer, resisting an officer with violence and possession of drug equipment after the incident.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded to a disturbance call at the home, where the residents said Knirsch showed up saying she was being chased. Knirsch, who does not live at the home, was inside the screen porch when the deputy arrived. A resident said she saw Knirsch place a pipe inside a flowerpot and the deputy retrieved it, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Knirsch told the deputy she had been chased by unknown men and was trying to escape from them. She couldn’t provide a description of the men and could not stay focused while talking. Knirsch appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic and hallucinating, the report said.
The deputy determined Knirsch met Baker Act criteria and tried to detain her. Knirsch resisted and the deputy escorted her to the ground. As he tried to place her in custody, Knirsch grabbed his handcuffs and pulled them away. The deputy had to throw away the cuffs to keep her from using them as a weapon, the report stated.
During the struggle, the deputy gave verbal commands for Knirsch to stop resisting and put her hands behind her back. When she didn’t, the deputy used his taser and performed a drive-stun technique, which was ineffective. Knirsch grabbed the taser and it was deployed into the ground, according to the report.
The deputy regained control of the taser and performed several defense tactic techniques before finally gaining control of Knirsch. He held her down in the front yard until more sheriff’s office units arrived to assist, the report said.
Residue from the white glass pipe collected from the flowerpot field tested positive for marijuana, according to the report.
Marion County Jail records show 12 previous arrests for Knirsch dating back to January 2006. In addition to numerous drug offenses, charges include domestic battery, burglary, theft, dealing in stolen property and confinement of animals without sufficient food.
Knirsch is being held on $5,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on June 18.