A Palm Harbor woman was arrested Sunday after a hit-and-run crash in Ocala’s Downtown Square.
An Ocala Police sergeant said he heard a loud noise that sounded like a crash. He said he then saw a white Jeep backing out of parking space and attempting to leave the area.
The sergeant conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of SW 2nd Street and S Magnolia Avenue because he believed the vehicle, driven by 28-year-old Heather L. Merritt, was leaving the scene of an accident. She claimed she didn’t hear a noise and didn’t believe she was involved in a crash but agreed to return to the scene, an Ocala Police report states.
The sergeant noted that Merritt’s vehicle had scrape damage to the driver’s side rear quarter panel. He spoke with the owner of the other vehicle involved in the crash, who said he was entering his vehicle when he heard a loud noise and observed the white Jeep driving away. The sergeant noted that the damage on the Jeep was consistent with the damage on the victim’s vehicle, the report says.
While walking to speak with Merritt, an officer noticed that she had exited her vehicle and started to argue with the victim over who was at fault in the crash. The officer ordered Merritt to return to her vehicle several times, which she refused to do. She was then placed in handcuffs and in the back of the officer’s patrol vehicle.
Merritt was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where she was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with property damage. She was released early Monday morning on $500 bond and her next court date hasn’t yet been set.