Credit: Anglina Penunuri
A 47-year-old Marion County man was arrested after allegedly stealing a Cadillac and leading deputies on a high-speed chase that ended with a rollover crash.
On Monday, January 26, two Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies observed a Cadillac SRX that was stopped at a red light at the intersection of SW 108th Place and N Williams Street in Dunnellon. A license plate query on the vehicle revealed that it had been reported stolen out of Citrus County, according to the arrest report.
The deputies conducted a traffic stop of the Cadillac, and the driver, later identified as Dunnellon resident JHM, exited the vehicle. However, the report said that M refused to follow instructions and re-entered the vehicle.
Moments later, M allegedly started the Cadillac and sped away from the traffic stop, heading southbound on N Williams Street. According to the report, M continued fleeing southbound into Citrus County, which forced the MCSO deputies to end their pursuit.
MCSO identified M as the driver of the stolen Cadillac, and a criminal history search revealed that he was wanted in Marion County for allegedly stealing nearly $46 worth of merchandise from a local Walmart.
On Thursday, January 29, MCSO deputies observed the stolen Cadillac entering a neighborhood in Dunnellon, and the vehicle was found in the driveway of a residence located on SW 109th Lane. A traffic stop was attempted, but the Cadillac’s driver (M) allegedly fled from the deputies at a high rate of speed.
The pursuit came to an end when the Cadillac crashed into a telephone pole, flipped over, and struck a concrete structure owned by a local business. M then allegedly crawled out of the vehicle’s sunroof before attempting to run away from deputies.
M was quickly apprehended and detained in handcuffs. The report said that a “purple Crown Royal bag” had been “thrown out of the [Cadillac]” during the rollover crash, and it contained a prescription bottle labeled “trazodone” that did not belong to M.
Following the crash, M was placed under arrest and transported to an area hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. He is being charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property, fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer with lights and siren active, possession of a harmful new legend drug without prescription, second-degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense), and resisting an officer without violence.
Jail records show that M is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3.
As of Monday, February 2, a booking photo of M is not yet available.
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Source: ocala-news
