BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher | BOYNTON BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Video obtained by BocaNewsNow.com of the late August arrest of Megan Martel by Boynton Beach Police seems to show exceptionally tolerant cops acting professionally. Officers who calmly allow a chatty Martel, 38, to refuse to get out of her vehicle for several minutes, before she is ultimately handcuffed and charged with DUI and resisting. Watch the video below.
It should be a non-story. But Martel’s attorney — Michael George of West Palm Beach — threatened BocaNewsNow.com in a three-page letter that demanded we remove — or greatly alter — our original coverage that was published in early September. Attorney George argued that we took a “police narrative” of events when we reported that police said Martel ran a red light while conducting a U-Turn on Gateway Boulevard. He also questioned the Boynton Beach Police Department’s professionalism and integrity when he wrote this in his threat to us:
“…the defense has not yet had any meaningful opportunity to litigate the stop, the alleged observations, the alleged refusals, the implied-consent procedure, or the legal sufficiency of the charges.”
While we ignore threats regarding our reporting — and will initiate litigation or Florida Bar complaints against attorneys who attempt to chill free speech — we do care about facts. So we obtained the bodycam video to see if Boynton Beach Police made a series of mistakes, as Mr. George seems to imply. Some of this saber rattling is what you’d expect from your defense attorney. Some of it is not. Like when Mr. George misstates Florida Statute in telling us that we can’t report on public information.
Wrote Michael George: “…any claim that the article is categorically protected as a report of official records would be overstated.”
Boynton Beach Police say that Martel conducted the illegal U-Turn through a red light in the 800 block of Gateway Boulevard around 7:40 p.m. on August 29th. An officer was behind her at the time and initiated a traffic stop. Officers say she had a “strong odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage on her breath” at the time of the incident. They then say she refused to get out of her car when ordered to do so. While we do not see the traffic stop as part of the video, we do see a lot, and we encourage you to view the video for yourself.
We note the video was provided to us with redacted segments which we cut out. We also trimmed some of the video for brevity. We are providing a link to download the video in its entirety so there is no claim of doctoring. The video starts with the officer who made the traffic stop, then continues with the officer handling DUI investigations.
If you are skimming the video: Ms. Martel’s alleged refusal to get out of her vehicle starts at roughly the 2:35 mark.
Ms. Martel is officially charged with Driving Under The Influence, Resist Officer Without Violence, Refusal To Submit To DUI Testing, and she was citied for allegedly running a steady red light. She has entered “not guilty” pleas. She remains free on $2250 bond and is expected back in court in December. The unedited video is here.
We note that Attorney Michael George — while quick to spew threats in a three-page certified letter to BocaNewsNow.com — has not responded to our multiple requests for information or comment. Read our original reporting here.
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