Deputies: Woman crashes car into tree, jumps into canal in Iona neighborhood

A North Fort Myers woman was arrested Tuesday morning after she crashed into a tree in the south Fort Myers neighborhood of Iona and then jumped into a canal to flee from deputies.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says they were called to Montrose Drive off McGregor Boulevard for the report of a suspicious person. In the meantime, the suspect, identified as Krystal Whitney, 35, drove her car in between two homes and into a tree before running and jumping into a nearby canal.

Deputies found her swimming in the canal and trying to hide in the mangroves.

Iona/McGregor Fire Rescue pulled her from the canal and she was turned over to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

One neighbor caught the scene on video, and another neighbor says she saw Whitney right before the woman crashed a car into a tree.

“I had an appointment early this morning; we come out…and backing out, I could see a strange car parked over there at the cul-de-sac,” said Sylvie Acovski.

“She looked like she needed help.”

Acovski says something didn’t seem right.

“And their window was down and the lady was kind of moving like that (gestures). I’m like oh, that does not seem OK, so I figured I would talk to her. I asked if she was OK and she said ‘I’m fine.’ It didn’t seem to me like she was fine so I ask again, ‘Lady, are you OK?, She goes ‘I’m fine, just leave.'”

Other neighbors also saw Whitney’s car Tuesday morning. One man says he called 911 twice, once after seeing the car and again when his wife heard the crash.

“We know how to recognize something that’s kind of odd. I just hope she gets the help that she needs. It was sad to see her in that kind of state,” Acovski said.

Charges are pending against Whitney but will include resisting arrest without violence and leaving the scene of a crash. As for why she was in the neighborhood in the first place and tried to run, deputies say that’s part of their active investigation.

Iona/McGregor Fire Rescue rescued the suspect, now identified as Krystal Whitney (3/10/1985). She was then turned over to LCSO for the crash investigation.

Charging are currently pending for Whitney, including Resisting Arrest without Violence and Leaving the Scene of a Crash. pic.twitter.com/1tQYolUQ44

— Carmine Marceno – Florida’s Law and Order Sheriff (@SheriffLeeFL) December 8, 2020