Ocala Police officers were called to the area near the Appleton Museum last week after receiving calls of a domestic disturbance.
When they arrived, they were told that the man involved had left on foot and the woman had driven away in a white Honda Accord. They soon made contact with the man, who said that he had been arguing with his girlfriend, 36-year-old Tara Kloppenburg, of Ocala, when she drove away.
The man said they were arguing about her driving while intoxicated and while he was speaking with the officers, they received a call advising a person matching Kloppenburg’s description was causing a disturbance at the Silver Springs Motel, located at 4121 E Silver Springs Blvd., a police report says.
Officers responded and saw the white Honda Accord attempting to leave the motel’s parking lot. An officer blocked the driveway with his patrol vehicle with emergency lights activated, but Kloppenburg accelerated, jumped the curb and headed west on E Silver Springs Blvd. at a high rate of speed, the report says.
Officers pursued Kloppenburg and observed her swerving while attempting to make a left turn. She then made a U-turn and pulled into a gas station and placed the vehicle in park. She complied with officers’ commands and was taken into custody, the report says, adding that Kloppenburg’s speech was slurred, she had watery/glossy eyes and she was “very unsteady on her feet” and unable to stand still.
Kloppenburg at first agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises but then attempted to make a deal for her release and refused multiple times to continue cooperating. She was placed in handcuffs and secured in the backseat of a patrol vehicle while officers searched her car.
Officers found a small airplane-sample-size bottle of peppermint schnapps in the front seat cup holder and a three-quarters empty bottle of Michelob Ultra behind the passenger seat but within reach of the driver’s seat, the report says.
Kloppenburg was transported to the Marion County Jail, where she refused to provide a breath sample to check for blood alcohol content. A criminal background check also showed that she had twice been convicted of driving under the influence (Dec. 18, 2001 and Nov. 5, 2005). And she had two adjudication withheld notes on her record for driving with a suspended license on Nov. 8, 2005 and Oct. 29, 2013.
Kloppenburg was charged with driving under the influence (third offense), fleeing to elude law enforcement and driving while license suspended. She is being held on no bond and is due in court on July 23 at 9 a.m.
Kloppenburg also spent time in the Marion County jail after being arrested May 9 on charges of possession of marijuana less than 20 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia and two outstanding Hernando County warrants.