A Miami man and woman were arrested in Alachua County on Wednesday for carrying various drugs with the intent to sell after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase at over 100 mph along Interstate-75.
According to the arrest report, Dimy Paraison, 51, and Keeshanda Johnson, 43, were carrying over 1,000 grams of marijuana and synthetic cannabis compounds, 126 PCP tongue strips and a box of prescription drugs when they were arrested.
Paraison and Johnson were pulled over in Columbia County by the Florida Highway Patrol for drifting between lanes and displaying a fake paper tag. According to the arrest report, the car smelled strongly of marijuana and when the officer asked Paraison, the driver, where they were coming from, neither responded. Paraison started to hand over his license but suddenly pulled back and put his car in drive, fleeing northbound on I-75, according to the report.
The officer pursued Paraison and Johnson for three miles at a high speed before they turned onto U.S. Highway 90, near Lake City. When they attempted to turn back onto I-75, the officer used his patrol vehicle to send Paraison and Johnson spinning back onto U.S. Highway 90 in a PIT maneuver, according to the arrest report.
Paraison and Johnson were forced into the median and then drove backwards across the highway, towards the sidewalk. According to the report, they came to a brief stop, and the pursuing officer approached them with his gun drawn, demanding they exit the vehicle.
The two ignored the officer and drove off, getting back onto U.S. Highway 90 and entering I-75. They traveled southbound and the officer conducted a second PIT maneuver, but Paraison was able to escape and drive southbound at speeds of over 100 mph, according to the arrest report.
The chase continued until they reached Alachua County, just north of the city of Alachua, when another officer conducted a third PIT maneuver, sending the car into a ditch. According to the arrest report, Paraison attempted to reenter I-75 by driving north into oncoming traffic. In response, the FHP officer performed a fourth PIT maneuver and sent Paraison and Johnson off the right shoulder and into the treeline.
Officers approached the car with their guns drawn, and Paraison attempted to flee on foot but was unable to open his car door, according to the arrest report. FHP officers arrested the pair and searched their car.
According to the arrest report, officers found about 960 grams of individually packaged marajuana, 169 grams of synthetic cannabis compounds and PCP strips. The tongue strips are extremely popular in prison and jail systems, according to the report.
The way the drugs were packaged indicated they were intended to be introduced to prisons and jails, according to the arrest report. Officers also found a box of prescription drugs with 30 sheets of buprenorphine and naloxone inside, which is considered a controlled substance. There was no prescription found in the car.
Johnson told officers she claimed ownership of everything in the car, according to the arrest report.
Paraison and Johnson were both charged with multiple felonies, including drug possession with intent to sell and smuggling contraband into prison. Paraison was additionally charged with fleeing from police at a high speed.
Contact Kaysheri Haffner at khaffner@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kaysheri_h.
Kaysheri Haffner is a second-year journalism major and the Criminal Justice reporter for the Alligator. When she's not on the clock, she can be found reading a book or working on a creative writing project.
