Woman Refuses Plea Bargain, After Run-in With Trooper

Artist Sally Adams has rejected a plea deal "on principle" related to an incident in which she was pulled over by a Florida state trooper,  according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

The state attorney offered to drop a felony escape charge against Adams, in exchange for her pleading to a misdemeanor charge, paying a fine, attending a class and performing community service.

"It's not right to manipulate me into taking something I don't deserve," Adams told the Herald-Tribune.

The charges stem from a May 2012 incident in which Adams was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Melvin Arthur.

According to the Herald-Tribune story, Arthur stopped Adams, 52, on Tamiami Trail, just south of Hillview Street, because her tag light was out.

Adams was charged with DUI, though her breath tested at 0.036 percent — far below the 0.08 level at which Florida drivers are considered intoxicated.

Adams was also charged with resisting arrest and escape — a felony punishable by up to 16 years in prison. Adams has said that the handcuffs slipped off her wrists.

Adams maintains she was profiled by the trooper, and alleges that he pulled her over because of her gender.

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