A Leesburg man and his female companion were arrested for resisting law enforcement after he told police to “write up them charges” instead of obeying orders during a traffic stop.
Police observed a black Acura four-door sedan with dark tinted windows in the area of U.S. Hwy. 441 and Sleepy Hollow Road at about 11 a.m. Friday, according to an arrest report Leesburg Police Department. In addition to the dark tinted side windows, the windshield was heavily tinted below the AS/1 line.
Almost instantaneously, the driver, later identified as 33-year-old Qurum Renard Pinkard, and the passenger, later identified as 31-year-old Tyeisha Yvette Taylor, abruptly sped northbound on U.S. Hwy. 441. The vehicle reached a speed of 65 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone, the report said.
The officer initiated a traffic stop and explained his reasoning behind it, but Pinkard began acting aggressively towards law enforcement. When a K-9 unit arrived and asked Pinkard to roll up his window for a free air sniff of the vehicle, he refused to do so. The officer explained that his partner was an apprehension dog and could possibly harm Pinkard, but he still refused to roll up the window. He was then asked to step out of the vehicle, the report said.
At that point, Pinkard initiated a telephone call with an unidentified person, the report said. He requested the officer’s name and badge number, which was given to him, but he still refused to exit the vehicle. He only obeyed the order when he was threatened with arrest.
When Pinkard exited the vehicle, his behavior was consistent with a person who was intending to cause harm, or to cause fear of the use of harm, the report said. His chest was bowed, and he faced officers in an aggressive manner. He stated, “I’m not afraid to go to jail,” and, “Write up them charges.”
The K-9 unit then advised that there was a positive alert to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle. Just prior to the initiation of the search, Pinkard began relaying his exact location to the unknown person on the phone. He uttered slurs and made derogatory remarks towards law enforcement during the call, the report said.
As a result of this behavior, one of the officers was in fear that Pinkard was intending to have this person arrive at the scene of the traffic stop with ill intent. Pinkard was asked at least eight times to end the call, and he refused to do so. He continued relaying his location whereas the officer began to remove the phone from his hand and placed him under arrest, the report said.
During this time, Taylor was next to Pinkard. As the officer tried to grab the phone, she slapped his left wrist. She pulled away and refused to put her hand behind her back when the
officer began to place her under arrest. She was placed into custody shortly thereafter without further incident, the report said.
Pinkard was still on the phone while Taylor was detained. The report noted that three additional individuals familiar with Pinkard arrived on scene while officers were still there.
Once Pinkard and Taylor were arrested, they were transported to the Lake County Jail. Both were charged with resisting (obstructing without violence), and Taylor received the additional charge of simple battery (LEO, firefighter, EMT, etc.). Pinkard was released after posting $1,000 bond. Taylor was released after posting $6,000 bond.
