DUI Arrest: Molino Man Accused Of Battery On Pensacola Officer Following Crash

April 8, 2026

A Molino was charged following a single-vehicle crash and an alleged violent altercation with Pensacola Police.

Michael Tabium Watts, 35, ws charged with DUI influence of alcohol or drugs, refusal to submit to dui testing, battery on an officer, depriving an officer of means of protection or communication, resisting an officer with violence, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, and possession of marijuana. He was later released from the Escambia County Jail on a $22,000 bond.

Watts was arrested near the intersection of B and Cervantes Streets after officers followed a fluid trail from a damaged median wall at E Street. According to the arrest report, Watts’ black BMW SUV was found disabled in the roadway with severe front-end damage.

Responding officers noted that Watts smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech, and struggled with basic motor skills. A passenger in the vehicle reportedly told police that Watts had been drinking vodka and smoking marijuana earlier in the night, ignoring her pleas to stop driving.

The situation escalated during field sobriety exercises when Watts became aggressive. Police say Watts resisted arrest, pulling away from officers and eventually grabbing an officer’s radio, turning it off and preventing a call for emergency backup. Officers were forced to use physical strikes to gain control and placed Watts into a patrol vehicle.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP