OCALA, Fla. – A woman with a rather long driving record is facing a felony after a crash with someone who’d seen her under better circumstances.
Police in Florida found her 2010 Hyundai SUV with “its driver’s door open with no occupant in the vehicle,” on the evening of Oct. 26.
“I made contact with the other vehicle, which was a 2015 Ford sedan,” an officer wrote in the arrest report, and the driver “advised that she was traveling southbound … when a vehicle collided with her.
“She stated that the driver got out and advised her she did not have insurance, and left the scene.
“The victim did have injuries to her back and was transported” to the hospital, the arrest report said, but, “Prior to her departure, she advised the suspect was her neighbor ‘Sharon.’
“[The victim] described her as an older Black female,” and that information would soon be rather important.
“While conducting my investigation,” the officer continued, “the registered owner of the Hyundai SUV arrived on scene and identified himself as [man’s name] Edwards.
“Edwards initially advised he was driving and that he ran home. I advised Edwards that he does not match the description given; then, his other neighbors who did not want to be identified advised for Mr. Edwards to tell the truth.
“I advised him to get the driver of the vehicle and to respond back. I then made contact with the defendant, Sharon Edwards.”
Her husband was not arrested that night, and it was apparently not the first time he told a story to protect her.
“The defendant advised she was driving the vehicle,” the officer wrote, and tried to turn left, “but advised she took the turn too hard and collided with the vehicle.
“She advised she went to the victim and told her she did not have a license, and ran to her apartment with her husband.
“She advised she told her husband what had occurred, and he responded to the scene.
“I asked her why she did not respond back to the scene with her husband, and she advised she panicked and did not want to go to jail.”
She may have meant “back to jail“ because she’d been there three times before.
Sharon Yvette Edwards’ driving history transcript, Oct. 28, 2024 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
Her most recent string of trouble started Sept. 6, 2020, when a police officer saw her “make an improper right hand turn,” the arrest report said, “by going directly into the inside lane.”
The officer conducted a traffic stop and wrote that Edwards “advised me that her driver’s license was suspended. Upon running her [in the computer], it revealed that her license was suspended for DUI on 06/12/03. [The computer] also revealed that she had one prior DWLSR [driving with a license suspended or revoked] conviction.
“Due to this, Edwards was placed under arrest” and charged with a second offense of driving with a suspended license.
Two months later, on Nov. 2, she signed a deferred prosecution agreement which would’ve led the charge being dismissed in six months, if Edwards fully met the conditions.
But she didn’t.
Non-Compliance Notice, April 10, 2021 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
A non-compliance notice five months later, on April 10, said Edwards failed to complete three of four tasks.
After that, Edwards pleaded not guilty. Then, on Aug. 23, she didn’t show up for a pre-trial conference in court, so she forfeited her bond.
Edwards then changed her plea to no contest.
She was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to a month in jail, plus fines and other costs, with her confinement to be deferred.
That didn’t last, and the case was reopened.
In mid-February 2022, she still owed money, and was granted a two-month extension.
In mid-April 2022, she still owed money, and was granted a five-month extension.
In mid-September 2022, she still owed money, and was granted a two-month extension.
In November 2022, more than two years after her arrest, Edwards’ balance had not gotten any smaller, but she was granted a fourth extension, for another five months.
Commitment Order Compliance Checklist, April 17, 2023 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
In April 2023, court documents show she still owed $457.50, but the following week — despite the money being due — her deferred commitment conditions were deemed satisfied, and she was off the hook.
Long before that case was resolved, Edwards was arrested again.
It happened the following month, on Oct. 21, 2020.
The officer wrote about seeing Edwards approach an intersection and “stop over the posted stop bar, placing the stop bar in the middle of the vehicle, behind the front driver door.”
The traffic stop was rather strange.
“I observed the passenger door of the suspect vehicle open,” the arrest report said, “and a [man] exit the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
“While giving verbal commands for the passenger to stay in the vehicle, I was walking towards the driver’s side of the suspect vehicle and observed the driver’s door open and a subject wearing … exit the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“The suspect who exited the driver’s seat began walking around the front side of the suspect vehicle at a rapid pace. I kept visual of the driver of the vehicle while they moved to the passenger’s side of the suspect vehicle.
“I made contact with the driver of the vehicle, who was now standing on the passenger’s side of the suspect vehicle,” and she looked familiar.
“I recognized the driver of the vehicle to be Sharon Edwards, due to the fact on 09/06/2020” — the previous month — “I assisted [another officer] with a traffic stop where Edwards was arrested for driving while license suspended.”
Sharon Edwards wasn’t the only person to reunite with the officer.
“Through the same prior case,” the officer wrote, “I identified the passenger of the vehicle as [her husband].
“While attempting to explain why I initiated a traffic stop to Sharon Edwards, she spontaneously uttered her husband was driving; she was not driving because she can’t drive.
“Sharon Edwards advised she does not have a valid driver’s license. I detained Sharon in handcuffs and placed in the back of my marked patrol vehicle.
“Sharon Edwards advised she was having heart problems, so I notified Ocala Police Department dispatch to have EMS respond to my location to evaluate Sharon Edwards.”
She was taken to the hospital and admitted, and her booking photo was taken there.
In the meantime, Edwards’ felony charge of driving with a suspended license-third offense was lowered to a misdemeanor of doing it, but with a prior offense.
She landed the same judge and in March 2021, changed her plea to no contest. Edwards was sentenced to pay fines and court costs, which she fulfilled in this case.
This latest time, after the crash with her neighbor, the police officer wrote, “Due to the victim being transported to the hospital with injuries, I placed the defendant under arrest,” for leaving scene of a crash with injuries, and giving a false statement about driving without a valid license.
Edwards, 64, was also ticketed for careless driving.
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