A lawyer led police on a chase, then reeled off celebrity names, Keys deputies say
A Broward County attorney was jailed Monday morning after Florida Keys deputies say she led them on a high-speed chase through Marathon.
When she finally pulled over after her Lexus spun out of control, Monroe County deputies say she had to be forced out of the car at gunpoint.
And even before exiting the car and being cuffed, she inched her car forward toward one of the deputies, according to the arrest report.
Reena Patel Sanders, 38, faces felony fleeing and eluding police, felony drug possession, and misdemeanor driving under the influence, refusing to accept a citation and obstruction charges.
The drug charge against the Plantation attorney is because of four doses of cannabis-infused gummy worms deputies found inside a purse on the passenger seat of the Lexus, according to the report.
Early Monday afternoon, Sanders was in jail in Key West with no bond information available.
According to Deputy Corbin Hradecky’s report, he clocked Sanders driving the Lexus 80 mph in a 45-mph zone of U.S. 1 around 12:30 a.m.
Hradecky pulled behind her with his overhead car lights on as she slowed down, but then she accelerated to 90 mph, he wrote in his report.
The Lexus turned right onto Knights Key Boulevard. The chase continued on residential streets until Sanders lost control of her car, Hradecky said.
While cuffed, Hradecky and another deputy said Sanders showed “several signs of impairment” and smelled strongly of alcohol. She also began to say the names of celebrities, according to the report.
“During the encounter, Reena was shouting obscenities at deputies and began to name off famous actors such as Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Owen Wilson and Ryan Reynolds,” Hradecky wrote. “When asked why she fled from me, Reena stated she was ‘scared.’”
According to Miami Herald archives, she focuses her practice on real property litigation.
The deputies took Sanders to the Marathon sheriff’s office substation, where she asked when she would be going back to her hotel, according to the report.
“I advised Reena she was going to jail on a litany of charges. Reena insisted she was not going to jail and insisted we get pizza,” Hradecky said.
She again talked about how she hung out with multiple celebrities and said she worked for a “big law firm.”
Medics arrived at Sanders’ request to treat scrapes to her knees Hradecky said were from her being taken to the ground and cuffed when she refused to get out of the car.
But she refused medical attention, Hradecky said, saying she would bandage them herself when she got back to her hotel.
“I again advised Reena she was going to jail to which she stated she was not,” Hradecky said.
Sanders refused to submit to a blood alcohol test at the substation, according to the report.
