Trial under way for Brittany Miles, accused of trying to kill Pasco deputy

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Brittany Miles wanted to avoid a jury in her trial for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

But when she found out the judge would have to deliver a life sentence, she withdrew her plea, and now faces a jury that was picked in a Pasco County courtroom Monday.

In May 2011, Miles, a former stripper and the daughter of a Hernando County deputy, was arrested for driving under the influence in Hudson.

Prosecutors say Miles escaped from her handcuffs, got out of a sheriff's cruiser, got back in her truck and sped off.

According to investigators, Deputy Ashley Grady tried to stop Miles and grabbed on to her truck.  He was dragged across the road before falling into traffic.

Grady suffered multiple injuries, including a broken leg.

Sheriff's Office mechanic Tim Moore watched as it all happened.  He was later honored for coming to Grady's aid.

"I just started waving my hands, trying to stop traffic, and started attending to her once traffic stopped," said Moore in 2011.

Both Moore and Grady are among those who will testify for the state.

After a 100-mile-per-hour pursuit on US 19, investigators say Miles slammed into motorcyclist Henry McCain on County Line Road.

The defense won't say if Miles will take the stand in her own defense, but according to court documents, she had become dependent on prescription pills after she was hit by a drunk driver a couple years earlier.

Miles will go to trial again in Hernando County on first-degree murder charges for the death of the motorcyclist. That trial is set for January.

The Pasco jury was picked late Monday afternoon and opening statements shortly thereafter.

Witness testimony will begin Tuesday morning.