On Nov. 13, at 3:05 a.m., a Brandon deputy on patrol southbound on Ortonville Road near Allen Road saw a vehicle pass another motorist in his rearview mirror. The deputy and the motorist that had been behind his patrol car were doing the speed limit. The suspect vehicle passed at a much faster rate and quickly closed the distance. The deputy pulled over and let the suspect pass, then got behind the suspect and paced him at 63 miles per hour before the suspect made a hard left turn on Seymour Lake Road. The deputy attempted to close the gap and run the plate and the suspect accelerated. The deputy activated his lights and the suspect didn’t pull over. The deputy advised dispatch of the situation and then activated his siren.
As he followed, the suspect crossed the centerline twice and continued eastbound on Seymour Lake Road, doing the speed limit. At Sashabaw Road, the driver came to a complete stop and the deputy moved his patrol vehicle into the oncoming traffic lane, slightly behind the suspect driver’s door and shone his spotlight on the driver’s face. The suspect continued eastbound on Seymour Lake Road and the pursuit continued with full lights and siren until the suspect pulled into a driveway in the 5400 block of Seymour Lake Road, which was the suspect’s home address, about five miles from where the pursuit first began.
After the suspect drove up the driveway to near the front door of the home, around several trailers and yard equipment, the deputy exited his patrol vehicle and ordered the driver at gunpoint to put his hands on the steering wheel. Once no further threat was seen, the deputy holstered his gun and ordered the man out of his vehicle at Taser point.
The suspect did not exit right away and said he was home, and not to tow the vehicle. He got out of the vehicle and the deputy handcuffed the suspect and searched him for weapons. The driver smelled of intoxicants and his clothing was disorderly and soiled. He told the deputy to take him to jail, but not to take his new truck. Back up units arrived and deputies searched the vehicle, finding a partially empty case of cold, canned Budweiser beer on the front seat. Out of the 24 cans in the case, 11 were missing.
The suspect refused a preliminary breathalyzer test, saying he wouldn’t be tricked into anything and would get his license back in a year. The truck was impounded and the suspect was taken to the hospital, where a search warrant was obtained for a blood draw.
The suspect was belligerent, asking if the deputies knew who he was, and about how he makes all kinds of money. He told the deputies that Ortonville was a small town and he would find them when they weren’t working. The man was arrested for operating while intoxicated, second offense, fleeing and eluding and refusal of pbt.
Charges are pending prosecutor review. The man was previously convicted of operating while intoxicated in Florida in 2005 and was convicted of under 21 consumption/possession of liquor in Atlanta in 2001.