A convicted felon stole a deputy’s cruiser and caused a fatal accident Thursday, claiming her life and the lives of two innocent people and critically injuring a third.
During a press conference on Friday, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods was as direct with media outlets as a sheriff could be.
Responding to a reporter about department policy, Sheriff Woods said, “I had a feeling you all were gonna push my buttons, that means shit. That doesn’t play a factor in anything. This moron stole a police vehicle and killed two human beings.”
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According to deputies on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at around 2:00 p.m., Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies responded to a report of a suspicious incident at the Forest Plaza, in the 15900 block of E Highway 40, Silver Springs.
They were advised that a white female, later identified as Kendra Boone, attempted to take an elderly woman’s keys.
Boone was unsuccessful, but she attempted to gain access to the woman’s vehicle.
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When Deputy Witte arrived on the scene, he made contact with Boone and advised her to go to the rear of his patrol vehicle. Shortly after he exited his patrol vehicle, Boone entered the patrol vehicle through the passenger side and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Deputy Witte immediately attempted to remove Boone from the patrol vehicle, but she fled at a high rate of speed. Deputy Barnes arrived as Boone fled in the vehicle, at which time a vehicle pursuit was initiated.
Boone fled eastbound on East Highway 40 for several miles before making a U-turn near the weigh station just west of Highway 19. While fleeing westbound, additional deputies positioned themselves ahead of the pursuit to deploy stop sticks.
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However, before reaching the area of the stop stick deployment, Boone performed another U-turn and began to flee back eastbound on East Highway 40.
Due to the fact that Boone was traveling well over 100 MPH and driving erratically during her attempt to evade deputies, Deputy Barnes lost visual contact with the stolen vehicle on numerous occasions.
Upon reaching the 26700 block of E Highway 40, Boone left the roadway and traveled onto the right shoulder in an attempt to pass a semi-truck.
As she reentered the roadway at excessive speeds, she lost control of the stolen vehicle, entered into the oncoming lane of traffic, and collided with a black pickup truck.
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As Deputy Barnes and other deputies arrived at the scene of the crash, they discovered that Boone and three occupants of the truck were unresponsive.
Boone and two occupants of the truck were pronounced deceased on scene, and the third was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) responded to conduct a fatal traffic crash investigation, which is ongoing.
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