A Florida Keys man who crashed and rolled his Jeep on U.S. 1 wound up in the roadway Thursday night — and then allegedly fought the deputy who pulled him away from passing traffic. The bizarre sequence ended with an arrest and a stack of charges, including DUI and battery on a law enforcement officer.
According to the Miami Herald, Avery Travis Quiggle, 18, of Big Pine Key, was the only person in the Jeep when it crashed near mile marker 19 around 9 p.m. Thursday.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said Quiggle then walked onto U.S. 1 amid passing traffic, acted erratically and yelled profanities about the damage to his vehicle. A deputy pulled him away from the highway, but Quiggle allegedly continued yelling and fought with the deputy before being taken into custody.
Quiggle refused medical treatment, according to the sheriff's office. He was being held Friday at the agency's main jail on Stock Island while awaiting bond, the Miami Herald reported.
What The Charges Could Mean
Quiggle faces charges of driving under the influence, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and refusing to submit to a DUI test after his license was suspended. Under Florida law, a battery charge can be elevated to a third-degree felony when the alleged victim is a law enforcement officer performing official duties; resisting an officer with violence is also classified as a third-degree felony under state statute.
The DUI allegation remains a charge, not a conviction. Florida's implied-consent rules can also bring license consequences and separate criminal penalties when a driver refuses a lawful chemical test, depending on the circumstances and prior record.
