Around 3:09 PM on April 5, 2024, Deputy Jason VanEckelen with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a suspicious person in the parking lot of Walgreens (5945 US Highway 301 North). He exited his patrol car and first made contact with 19-year-old Emma Gibbs, who told him that her mother Melissa Gibbs had pulled over in the parking lot after having too much to drink. She claimed that they had eaten at Chili’s earlier that day, and that she told her mother to pull over in the parking lot so they could call someone to pick them up. While they were waiting for someone else, the officers arrived to investigate a report of a suspicious person. Deputy VanEckelen then made contact with Melissa, who was seated in the passenger seat of a maroon 2011 Acura at that time. As he was speaking with Melissa, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Based on her indicators of impairment, Deputy VanEckelen called for Traffic Deputy Jason Braden to arrive on scene and investigate this further. While they were waiting for Deputy Braden, Melissa seemed very incoherent and she made statements about being a sovereign citizen and being above the law. After Deputy Braden arrived on scene, Melissa was asked to exit the vehicle, but she did comply. She had to be physically removed from the vehicle, and she initially resisted arrest. She was eventually handcuffed, placed in the patrol car, and transported to the Manatee County Jail. When they arrived at the jail, Melissa was asked to submit breath samples for testing, but she refused to do so. She was subsequently booked into the jail and eventually released pending her court appearance. Melissa was charged with the following: -DUI (316.193(1)(a)) -Refusal to submit to breath testing (316.1939(1)) -Driving with a suspended license (322.34(2)(c)) -Resisting arrest without violence (843.02) Melissa has previously been arrested for DUI in Sarasota County, Florida on December 26, 2020. ---------------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our videos are shared for educational and news gathering purposes. Our content complies with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained by public records requests pursuant to the Florida Public Records Law (Chapter 119). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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