File this one under “truth in advertising,” or perhaps, “invitations best left declined.” Over the weekend, a Florida sheriff’s deputy was arrested while off-duty for riding a motorcycle with the kind of license plate that would make a car enthusiast (or maybe an aspiring supervillain) proud: a counterfeit tag reading “CHASEM3.” The unfolding and somewhat layered sequence of events reads like an oddball Cops episode—if the cast moonlighted as both law enforcement and their own comic relief.
License Plates, Stunts, and Choices at Wawa
The night began, as FOX 35 Orlando and First Coast News both outline, at a Wawa convenience store in Deltona—a setting that, perhaps unsurprisingly for this story, has a way of drawing out Florida’s more colorful side. Around 8:51 p.m., deputies recognized a motorcyclist who had allegedly fled from an attempted traffic stop earlier that evening. As the officers detained that rider, he called out to Erica Muzzy, off-duty deputy and part of the group, who then engaged in a brief—but clearly memorable—argument with the investigating deputy, as described by the outlets. The original fleeing motorcyclist was arrested and charged with fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement.
Following this first round of citations and frustrations, Muzzy made the decision to leave the Wawa on her own motorcycle, as both FOX 35 Orlando and First Coast News report. Instead of calling a tow or arranging a ride home, she departed the scene—with a license plate that was both “fictitious” and, you might say, deeply on-the-nose. The tag in question remained conveniently hidden in the flipped-up position until, of course, it mattered most.
A Tag That’s a Challenge—and Consequences to Match
Not long after, deputies spotted Muzzy riding on westbound Interstate 4 near Deltona, according to News4Jax. The officers initiated a traffic stop after observing that the motorcycle’s tag wasn’t visible—thanks to the flip-up concealment. Once lowered, the tag’s taunt (“CHASEM3”) was revealed, either inviting a pursuit or foretelling the outcome. Muzzy was arrested on charges of possessing a counterfeit license plate; her bond was set at $2,500.
In a detail noted by FOX 35 Orlando and corroborated by FOX40, investigators discovered a social media account apparently linked to Muzzy, showcasing videos of so-called “reckless stunt riding on public roads.” The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has reportedly launched an internal affairs investigation into this behavior, suggesting that, for Muzzy, law enforcement may have become both profession and hobby—albeit on opposite sides of the dashcam.
Muzzy, a deputy since 2021 and most recently assigned to District 2 (DeLand/northwest Volusia), resigned following her arrest. Authorities, according to the above outlets, are still considering additional charges for other riders who allegedly fled the Wawa encounter.
Literal Invitations and Law Enforcement Irony
It takes a certain bravado—or absence of subtlety—to adopt “CHASEM3” as your chosen tag, especially with a badge in your other jacket pocket. The entire episode seems to sidestep the usual deniability of law enforcement infractions, instead offering dispatchers a rare moment of narrative clarity: the suspect essentially labeled herself and her mission in reflective plastic.
In a state already celebrated for its ability to generate headlines both improbable and inevitable, this incident lands squarely in the center: equal parts slapstick and cautionary tale. Was this a case of thrill-seeking gone awry, or just an unfortunate coincidence of impulse control and bad branding? Maybe there’s a deeper universal principle at work: sometimes, if you ask for a chase, you get one—complete with a very literal punchline.
Which raises a quiet question, tucked somewhere between irony and pathos: In the long and storied annals of American oddities, how often does the dare come printed right on the license plate? And when it does, do we ever really expect anyone—least of all a deputy—to take it so literally?
