Police: 17-year-old resists arrest, family gets involved; 5 charged

Published 8:34 pm Saturday, December 3, 2016

MOULTRIE, Ga. — This family trip was no vacation, as a dispute between siblings on Thursday at a Moultrie convenience store mushroomed until five people eventually were whisked away to Colquitt County Jail.

It all started with a thrown water bottle, according to Moultrie police. When it was over three teen-agers and their mother were among the five arrested.

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It took police two hours to sort out the situation as people refused to respond to officers’ questions and interfered with arrests, leading to additional charges against those who interfered.

When police responded to the Chevron convenience store and Blimpie’s restaurant, Jasmine Pena told police that her brother, Adrian Pena, threw a water bottle at her while she was holding her 8-month-old baby.

She and their mother, Kimberly Pena, reported that the bottle hit Jasmine Pena in the head.

When an officer spoke with Adrian Pena-Martin, police said, the 17-year-old refused to respond to him. Based on the witnesses’ statements, the officer notified Pena-Martin that he was under arrest, but the teen stood up with his arms folded across his chest and refused to place his hands behind his back to be handcuffed.

After a second officer came over to try to place him in custody, Kimberly Pena told her son to cooperate with officers. She objected to a third officer who pulled a Taser stun weapon, warning that it could cause her son to have a seizure.

Pena-Martin continued resisting even after police used the Taser, but officers eventually handcuffed him.

It was then, police said, that Kimberly Pena became irate and used vulgar language as she criticized officers for using the stun weapon.

When a fourth officer went over to speak with Kimberly Pena about her behavior, police said, she tried to walk away and snatched her arm away from the officer. The officer then notified her that she was under arrest and tried to handcuff her, at which time her 15-year-old son ran towards the officer and told her that she could not arrest his mother.

The son then tried to push an officer aside so that he could get to his mother and the officer dealing with him, police said. The officer being pushed then tried to detain the boy, who resisted and was taken to the ground by police and later handcuffed.

As police tried to put the younger son and Kimberly Pena in patrol cars, a red Ford Mustang arrived and a number of people got out. The group ran toward an officer who was trying to take Jasmine Pena into custody, whom police said also charged at them, still holding the infant, during the time they were trying to arrest her mother.

Police detained a man who was trying to go to the area where officers were arresting Jasmine Pena but did not arrest him.

At the request of officers for someone to hold the baby, Desiree Daniella Yeso approached, but Jasmine Pena gripped the infant tightly and refused to cooperate. Another female came over and took the baby.

At Jasmine Pena’s urging, police said, Yeso began recording officers’ efforts arrest her, as Jasmine Pena turned her body and prevented them from handcuffing her, police said. During the scuffle she slapped an officer, knocking off his glasses, and then broke the glasses when she rolled over them.

While that was going on, Yeso had tried to open the rear of the patrol car in which Kimberly Pena was confined, according to police. One of the officers involved in the struggle managed to push it shut using his leg but dented the door in the process.

Yeso cooperated and was the final person taken into custody.

Police filed the following charges:

• Pena-Martin: Two counts disorderly conduct

• Kimberly Faye Pena, 39, 1345 Alton Road: Resisting arrest and disorderly conduct

• Jasmine Pena, 19: Interfering with arrest and resisting arrest

• Yeso, 17, 351 Bay Branch Drive: Interfering with arrest and disorderly conduct

• The 15-year-old boy was charged with obstructing or hindering a law enforcement officer.