HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – A Brooksville woman is sitting behind bars after a chaotic Tuesday afternoon that started with a gas station outburst and ended with her stripping to her underwear and spitting in a deputy’s face.
Hernando County deputies were called out to the Texaco gas station at 101 Ponce De Leon Boulevard right around 2 p.m. on June 9. Workers there said a woman, later identified as 33-year-old Iesha Field, was harassing customers, acting erratically, and disrupting the business. Store employees asked deputies to issue a trespass warning, which they did, and Field walked away from the property.
But things didn’t end there. Field wandered over to a nearby mobile home park on West Jefferson Street, and deputies say the situation quickly escalated. According to the report, Field took off her clothes, walking around in only her underwear.
Deputies noted she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. She continued yelling and acting belligerent, disturbing several residents, including a mother who was outside with her young children. The mother asked deputies to trespass Field from her property as well.
Officers tried to calm the situation down. They instructed Field, who already had visible injuries to her left eye and right knee, to just go home. Instead, she refused their commands and became highly combative.
When deputies moved to take her into custody, she fought back. The sheriff’s office says she tried to hit and kick the deputies as they forced her into the back of a patrol car. Once she was inside, she started violently slamming her head and feet against the car windows. When deputies opened the door to address the thrashing, her own movements caused her to tumble right out of the vehicle.
Deputy M. LaPalme stepped in to help get her back inside the cruiser. During the struggle, Field spat on the left side of his face. LaPalme kept trying to get her buckled into the seat, but Field spat directly in his face a second time. According to the official release, the deputy reacted by hitting her in the face with an open-handed palm strike to stop her from spitting again, then finished securing her and shut the door.
The ride to the jail wasn’t any smoother. Field reportedly kept kicking and trying to damage the patrol car during the drive. Deputies eventually had to put extra restraints and a spit hood on her just to keep everyone safe. Once they finally reached the Hernando County Detention Center, jail staff had to step in to help secure her because of her continued aggression.
Field is now facing a felony charge for battery on a law enforcement officer, along with a misdemeanor charge for breach of the peace and disorderly intoxication. She is currently being held on a $3,000 bond.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the entire ordeal was caught on in-car video and multiple body cameras. The agency noted that Deputy LaPalme’s actions during the arrest are currently under review.
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