VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 39-year-old Jacksonville woman picked the wrong car to shine a laser light at, Volusia County deputies said.
Deputies arrested Tonya Harding Thursday night after they said she pointed a handheld green laser into a lieutenant's unmarked vehicle while passing it. Harding's husband, 38-year-old Charles Brazell (pictured below), who was driving, was also arrested on unrelated charges.
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Deputies said the lieutenant was on duty and driving northbound on State Road A1A near Northshore Drive in Ormond Beach about 10:20 p.m.
At first, a red, two-door Acura was in front of the lieutenant, and when he ran the tag, it came back to a different vehicle -- a 1994 Chevrolet station wagon, deputies said. They said the Acura then slowed down and pulled in behind the lieutenant's vehicle, and the lieutenant then slowed down to let the car pass again.
When the Acura pulled alongside the lieutenant, the front-seat passenger pointed a laser into the lieutenant's vehicle, deputies said. That's when the lieutenant pulled over the Acura.
During a search, deputies said they found a small bag of marijuana in the car. They said Harding also had a prescription bottle on her and it contained about 57 pills and had no label on it. She was charged with shining a laser light at a law enforcement officer and possession of a schedule IV substance.
Brazell was charged with driving with a suspended license, failure to register a motor vehicle, and possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana.
Three children, ages 12, 13 and 15, were also in the vehicle and were turned over to a relative.