On June 19, at 7:35 p.m., a Brandon deputy responded to Perry Lake Road at Granger Road after a vehicle drove through the stop sign and crashed into the ditch.
A witness at the scene had been jogging eastbound on Granger Road at Perry Lake Road and stated if she had been 20 feet further, she and her 3-year-old son in a jogging stroller would have been struck by the vehicle. She estimated the driver was doing 40-50 mph and did not attempt to stop until the intersection.
The woman watched as the driver exited the vehicle and attempted to push it out of the ditch. She asked him if he was alright and if he forgot to stop. He told her he must have, and that he was OK. He smelled strongly of intoxicants and was stumbling when he walked. She told him he appeared intoxicated and asked what he was on, to which the suspect responded alcohol. He then fled the scene on foot southbound on Perry Lake Road and then eastbound into a marsh and wooded area. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Homeowners in the area heard the crash and came to the scene to investigate.
Deputies established a perimeter and began searching for the suspect with the help of citizens. A woman came to the scene and asked if the deputies were looking for her brother. She lives in the area and her brother, who was indeed the suspect, as well as his daughter, lives with her. The suspect was released the day before from the hospital where he was being treated for alcohol withdrawal. She said she was on the phone with him approximately a half-hour prior to the accident and he told her he was going to an AA meeting.
During the search several neighbors observed the suspect and he approached two homeowners smelling of intoxicants and requesting a lighter for his cigarette.
After more than an hour, a deputy located the suspect walking northbound on Perry Lake near Granger, and as the deputy approached, the suspect reentered the woods. The deputy exited the patrol vehicle and began a foot pursuit. The suspect finally stopped after being told he would be tasered.
He smelled strongly of intoxicants, his pants were wet, his shoes muddy and his shirt covered in burs. He was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, second offense.
The witness positively identified him as the driver of the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital for a blood draw and then lodged at the Oakland County Jail. His vehicle was impounded.