Photos for Headline Surfer / TOP: Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood has remained silent since the arrest of Erica Muzzy, a deputy he hired back in 2021, who was arrested over the weekend for operating a motorcycle with a fictitious license plate. LEFT: She's shown here with her hands outstretched, asking why she's being arrested. BELOW: Bodycam footage of her being stopped on I-4 and arrested.
By HENRY FREDERICK
DELAND, Fla. -- An off-duty Volusia Sheriff's Office deputy who was arrested for riding a motorcycle with a fictitious tag has resigned in lieu of termination from employment -- a situation that Sheriff Mike Chitwood has remained silent on.
Erica Muzzy, 26, of Deltona, who was hired as a deputy by Chitwood in 2021, resigned on Sunday, less than 24 hours after her arrest. She was stopped on westbound I-4 near Deltona around 11:07 p.m. On Saturday, riding a motorcycle with a flipped-up tag that was not visible. When flipped down, the tag read “CHASEM3” (CHASE ME).
Before the traffic stop, Muzzy had been involved in an earlier incident in Deltona that Saturday night, according to a VSO news release. Around 8:51 p.m., a deputy spotted a motorcycle rider at Wawa (3400 Howland Blvd.) who had fled from an attempted traffic stop earlier in the evening.
While being detained, that rider called out to Muzzy, who was with his group of riders, and who became argumentative with the deputy conducting the investigation.
Multimedia: Volusia Deputy Erica Muzzy pulled over & arrested
Muzzy was arrested on a charge of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail with a bond of $2,500.
After that rider's arrest, Muzzy left the Wawa riding her motorcycle with a fictitious tag rather than having it towed or getting a ride home, accoring to VSO.
Muzzy was charged with possession of a counterfeit license plate and transported to the Branch Jail with a $2,500 bond.
Additional charges are possible as other riders involved in the Wawa incident fled from deputies, the VSO said.
In addition to last night’s incident and arrest, the agency's PIO said it has become aware of a social media account associated with Muzzy displaying reckless stunt riding on public roads. The Sheriff’s Office is also investigating that conduct as part of an internal affairs investigation.
Muzzy had been a deputy since her hiring by Chitwood in 2021 and was most recently assigned to District 2 (DeLand/northwest Volusia).
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