Woman slapped 18 people, accusing victims of stealing cigarettes, Ocala police say

Janeequa Dewberry

An Ocala woman was arrested Wednesday after deputies say she slapped 18 people in a Salvation Army dorm room, saying they stole from her.

Police officers arrived at the Salvation Army on NW 1st Avenue at 10 p.m. to find the suspect, Janeequa Dewberry, sitting out front.

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Dewberry, 24, told deputies “the girls inside the dorm room stole from me and I slapped each one of them,” estimating she hit about 18 people, according to the incident report.

Several women inside the Salvation Army dorm room verified to police that Dewberry hit them and accused them of stealing.

A Salvation Army employee told deputies he heard shouting from the women’s dorm room and when he approached Dewberry she also slapped him in the face.

While one officer was inside the dorm investigating the battery complaint, Dewberry attempted to leave the scene and another officer tried to stop her from walking away, but she resisted being put in handcuffs, according to the incident report.

The two officers on scene called in three more police officers to help take Dewberry into custody.  After resisting, putting her feet against the patrol car, she was finally placed inside the cruiser.

Seven of the women allegedly hit by Dewberry wanted to press charges, but the remaining victims did not, according to the Marion County Jail records.

Dewberry was charged with seven counts of battery and two charges of resisting an officer without violence and was taken to the Marion County Jail.


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