April 20, 2023
On January 8, 2023 nearing midnight, Deputy Nelson Macias was on patrol in Inglis. He witnessed what he thought was a disturbance occurring in the parking lot of Our Pub as he drove past. He turned in to the business and saw two men yelling at each other. He approached the two men to inquire if everything was ok. Deputy Macias was immediately confronted by one of these men who began to curse at him, threatened to beat him up and kill his family. This man, whom Deputy Macias knew as Aaron M. Beam (11/20/79) of Inglis, took a fighting stance and approached closer to his patrol vehicle. Beam walked to the driver’s window, reached inside the patrol vehicle and then pointed his finger in Deputy Macias’s face and again threatened to beat him up.
The other party to the original parking lot argument, Leon Maclin (5/22/89) of Inglis, also aggressively approached Deputy Macias who was still seated in his car. Deputy Macias used his car door to push Beam away and got out. He told Beam he was under arrest and instructed him to place his hands behind his back. Beam then threw a punch at Deputy Macias that did not connect. Deputy Macias countered and used Beam’s momentum to pin Beam to the ground. Deputy Macias held Beam on the ground for the next 20+ minutes as he was unable to call for assistance. Deputy Macias’s radio was damaged during the physical altercation.
Patrons from inside the bar came out and surrounded Deputy Macias as he held Beam to the ground. Most offered no assistance as they were too busy videoing and making anti-police statements. One patron did not follow the masses and called 911 alerting Levy County Communications that Deputy Macias needed help. Additional law enforcement from both Levy County and Citrus County arrived to assist Deputy Macias and Beam was taken into custody on multiple charges. Leon Maclin was also arrested on scene.
Yesterday, April 19, 2023 Aaron Beam, who has been in custody at the Levy County Detention Center since his arrest, entered a change of plea in Circuit Court. Beam pled guilty to burglary of an occupied conveyance, resisting arrest with violence and two counts of battery of a law enforcement officer and was sentenced to four years (48 months) in the Florida Department of Corrections.
Leon Maclin’s case was closed after Maclin was found deceased in a camper trailer in Inglis on March 22, 2023 from an apparent overdose.