Port Charlotte woman accused of striking deputy at Big Pine Key park

A Port Charlotte woman was accused of turning a routine foot patrol at Pine Channel Nature Park on Big Pine Key into a physical confrontation after deputies said they found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in plain view.

Monroe County said the park sits at 29550 Overseas Highway and closes daily at a half-hour past sunset. Deputies said the encounter happened around 10:26 p.m. on a Saturday, well after the park had shut for the night at 7:30 p.m. The site, described by county officials as a new park, includes 17 parking spaces, a kayak and canoe hand-launch area, 9,500 square feet of boardwalk, tiki huts, picnic areas and an 11-foot viewing deck.

According to the account provided by deputies, the officer was patrolling on foot when he smelled marijuana and saw a grinder on a table. Deputies also said drug paraphernalia was in plain view next to Julie Marie Graham, 43, of Port Charlotte, while she sat on a park bench. When deputies asked for identification, she allegedly refused, tried to walk away and then resisted arrest.

The situation escalated from there, with deputies saying Graham grabbed and hit the deputy and knocked his glasses off. A local report said she slapped the deputy in the side of the head. She was later medically cleared at Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island and taken to jail.

Graham was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with evidence and being in a park after hours. No serious injuries were reported.

Monroe County Parks and Beaches oversees 23 properties covering more than 100 acres across the island chain, a footprint that includes remote waterfront sites like Pine Channel. The arrest, reported on May 9, added another after-hours enforcement case to the Lower Keys, where deputies regularly patrol parks and roadways that can empty out quickly after sunset.