A Leesburg woman was arrested for evading officers when she sped away from Ski Beach after being asked to leave for harassing another person.
Officers were dispatched to Ski Beach, located at 100 E. Dixie Avenue, around 9:48 a.m. April 21, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. A woman, later identified as 33-year-old Amanda Kari Keating, was causing a disturbance with patrons at the park. The officers met with the complainant who advised that Keating had been harassing her and would not leave her alone.
Following the interview with the complainant, Keating agreed to discuss the incident with officers. She stated that she was just walking around the park and would return to her vehicle and leave. She began walking toward her vehicle parked in the Ski Beach parking lot until she stopped and turned back toward officers, stating she was not going to leave and instead continuing to cause a disturbance by harassing the complainant, the report said.
Officers subsequently requested that Keating leave the premises. She responded by stating that she was going to “call the police to make a report.” Officers explained misuse of 911 laws and asked Keating once again to leave the premises. Keating then slowly returned to her vehicle, a gray Nissan Sentra, the report said.
When Keating was leaving in her vehicle through the Ski Beach parking lot, she traveled at excessive speeds, forcing other traffic to maneuver around her while other pedestrians were walking next to the roadway. At about 10 a.m., one of the officers tried to catch up to Keating and initiate a traffic stop in his patrol vehicle. Keating visibly increased her speed and aggressively turned right onto Venetian Park Drive when she noticed the emergency lights and siren, the report said.
The officer was traveling more than the posted speed limit for Lake Harris Drive, but Keating still gained distance ahead of him. By the time he turned onto Venetian Park Drive, she was already out of his line of sight. He and two other officers canvassed the surrounding area immediately following the attempted traffic stop, the report said.
At 10:06 a.m., the officers moved to Keating’s address listed on her driver’s license, 408 S. 12th Street, near the Ski Beach area. They spotted her driving the same vehicle southbound on South 12th Street. However, as she passed officers Keating accelerated to a high rate of speed and turned right onto East Dixie Avenue, the report said.
An anonymous traffic complaint was dispatched around Perkins Street and The Boulevard about four minutes later. The complaint referenced a vehicle matching the description of and bearing the same tag number as Keating’s vehicle. The LPD Communications Center advised the vehicle was running red lights, speeding and maneuvering in and out of traffic, causing other vehicles to make evasive movements, the report said.
Officers were able to find Keating near West Main Street and West Magnolia Street, but she was still speeding ahead of canvassing officers. At 10:14 a.m., one of the canvassing officers in Carlton Court and South 11th Street observed Keating traveling the opposite way. He tried to turn around and catch up to her, but she sped up and turned left on Carlton Courts without stopping, the report said.
The officer continued to canvass the area around Carlton Court. Law enforcement believed that Keating was trying to return to her residence or her parent’s residence off Carlton Court, the report said.
At 10:33 a.m., an officer observed Keating traveling in the area on West Magnolia and 3rd Streets. She was no longer speeding but continued to commit traffic violations, including failing to stop at a stop sign. He initiated a traffic stop about three minutes later. Keating complied and was asked to exit the vehicle where she was then arrested, the report said.
Keating was charged with fleeing to elude law enforcement officer at high speed. She was transported to Lake County Jail to be held without bond.
