On Monday, October 2, 2023, around 6 p.m., a deputy responded to an area of Highway 90 in Marianna in response to a vehicle being in a ditch.
The deputy knocked on the passenger window and asked the driver, Richard Kevin Owens, to roll the window down.
Owens responded by pulling on the windshield wiper lever and stomping on the gas pedal.
The deputy ordered Owens out of the vehicle, but he refused, and continued attempting to put the car in gear and stomping on the gas.
The deputy removed Owens from the vehicle, but he resisted.
The deputy then deployed a taser, but still Owens resisted.
While trying to keep Owens subdued and wait for backup, Owens struck the deputy in the face.
When backup arrived, Owens continued resisting and began searching his waistband for a weapon until deputies were able to handcuff him.
When deputies searched Owens’ vehicle, they found an open Canadian Mist 1.75-liter bottle of whiskey, a can of Natural Light in the console and several cans of Natural Light in the trunk of the vehicle.
It was also discovered that Owens’ driver’s license had been revoked and he had been labeled a habitual traffic offender with two previous DUI charges.
Owens was arrested and is being charged with Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting with Violence, Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Habitual Offender) and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol.
