COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER FLORIDA DEPUTY HIT BY S.U.V.

A couple was arrested Thursday after they rammed an unmarked patrol car, hit a deputy with an SUV and used a 5-year-old girl as a human shield when deputies attempted a traffic stop for suspected narcotics, the Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies charged Stephanie Williams and Cardiss Turner with aggravated battery and assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude, child abuse and culpable negligence. No one was injured in the incident, and both have been booked into the Polk County Jail and are being held without bail.

About 11 a.m., detectives tried to stop a green Ford Expedition in the Taco Bell parking lot, which is an outparcel of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mulberry. Williams, 27, of Bartow was driving the SUV and Turner, 29, of Mulberry was sitting in the front passenger seat, according to the reports.

Turner was suspected of having drugs, the Sheriff's Office said. Deputies blocked the vehicle by parking in front and behind the SUV and ordered the two out of the vehicle. Instead, Williams revved the engine and detectives saw Turner grab the shifter and put it into reverse, deputies reported. Then Williams hit the gas and rammed an unmarked patrol car parked behind the SUV.

With his gun drawn, Detective Jeremy Farrell approached the front of the SUV and pointed it at Turner and Williams. Turner picked up one of two children in the car, shielding himself from the deputy. He again reached over and placed the shifter in drive. Williams, who was still driving, accelerated, striking Farrell and causing two other deputies to jump out of the way, reports said.

The couple escaped the parking lot but didn't make it too far. They drove to an access road less than a mile away and into a field where they were trapped at a wood line, the Sheriff's Office said. They were arrested there. Deputies found Williams' two daughters, ages 5 and 10, sitting in the back seat of the vehicle. They didn't find any drugs, the Sheriff's Office said.