A 37-year-old Pensacola woman is facing grand theft, trespassing and three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer after Palm Beach police say she bit, scratched and kicked three officers trying to arrest her near a stolen Acura on Thursday. Ashley Juliette Mabary was also charged with resisting an officer with violence following the struggle, which left one officer with a bleeding forearm laceration and another with abrasions to her elbow and knees.
According to WPEC, Palm Beach police had received a regional alert about a stolen white 2014 Acura RLX, and town traffic cameras spotted a vehicle matching that description in a parking lot near Southern Boulevard on Thursday. Officers who responded found Mabary near the Acura and ordered her to show her hands, per the probable-cause affidavit cited in the station's report.
Struggle Escalated as Officers Moved to Handcuff Her
Mabary pulled away as officers attempted to handcuff her, the outlet reports, and scratched one officer's face while kicking at others nearby. Even after being taken to the ground, she kept resisting and bit another officer on the forearm, causing a bleeding laceration, per the same account. A separate officer was kicked in the midsection during the struggle, while a second officer suffered abrasions to her elbow and knees, the affidavit states.
Mabary initially denied stealing the vehicle before telling investigators, “I stole the car. I was scared,” according to the affidavit referenced in the station's reporting. She told officers she found the Acura unlocked in an unfamiliar part of Miami, started it using its push-button ignition, and drove it to Palm Beach, per police. Bond was set at $41,000 on the combined charges, the outlet notes.
Charges Carry Stacked Felony Exposure
Florida law treats vehicle theft as an automatic third-degree felony no matter the car's value — a stolen Acura RLX qualifies the same as a stolen Rolls-Royce. Under Florida Statute § 812.014(2)(c)6, grand theft auto carries up to five years in state prison regardless of market value. Each of the three battery-on-an-officer counts Mabary faces is likewise a third-degree felony under Florida Statute § 784.07, which elevates simple battery to a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine per count when the victim is a law enforcement officer.
The resisting-with-violence charge adds another layer of exposure. Under Florida Statute § 843.01, knowingly using force against an officer performing lawful duties is also a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Mabary faced six charges: grand theft, trespassing, resisting an officer with violence and three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.
Part of a Recurring Pattern in Palm Beach County
The case fits a pattern local prosecutors have seen repeatedly in recent months. Just a week earlier, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a suspect in Delray Beach accused of stealing a minivan from a dealership and ramming an unmarked cruiser through a Publix lot. And in September, Palm Beach County law enforcement filed six felony counts — five tied to violence against officers — against a suspect accused of ramming a patrol vehicle and fighting off officers during arrest.
The use of town traffic cameras to flag the stolen Acura also lands amid an active local debate over automated surveillance. Palm Beach County commissioners voted in September 2026 to pause new permits for automated license plate readers on county roads, following a state directive that revoked Flock Safety camera permits over data privacy concerns, according to WLRN. Back in March, Palm Beach County deputies used GPS tracking to recover a stolen Rolls-Royce Wraith during a felony traffic stop on Interstate 95 near Jupiter, underscoring how tech-driven alerts routinely steer local interceptions of stolen vehicles.
Vehicle Theft Fell in First Half of 2025
The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported a 23% decline in vehicle thefts during the first half of 2025.
