| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: PRICE, BOBBY 0411 (AR10117521) DID OPERATE A VEHICLE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND, HAVING KNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAD BEEN DIRECTED TO STOP SUCH VEHICLE BY A DULY AUTHORIZED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, DID WILLFULLY REFUSE OR FAIL TO STOP SUCH VEHICLE IN COMPLIANCE WITH SUCH DIRECTIVE, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 316.1935(1). ON 102110 AT APPROXIMATELY 0124 HOURS, I WAS ON PATROL IN THE AREA OF WEST TRAVIS DRIVE AND WEST BASKET PLACE IN REFERENCE TO A COMPLAINT OF VEHICLES SPEEDING THROUGH THE AREA . WHILE PATROLLING THIS AREA, I DROVE TO THE END OF WEST BASKET PLACE TO THE CUL-DE-SAC AND OBSERVED PARKED AT THIS CUL-DE-SAC FOUR VEHICLES. UPON OBSERVING THESE VEHICLES, I HAD INFORMED DISPATCH THAT I WOULD BE OUT WITH FOUR SUSPICIOUS VEHICLES. AT THAT TIME AN INCIDENT NUMBER WAS GENERATED FOR THIS CALL WITH THE INCIDENT NUMBER BEING I10234098. AFTER PULLING IN BEHIND THE VEHICLE I TURNED ON MY SPOTLIGHT AND BEGAN TO SCAN THE CUL-DE-SAC AREA FOR PERSONS AND OTHER VEHICLES. WHILE DOING THIS, I WAS IN MY AGENCY ISSUED VEHICLE, WHICH IS PLAINLY MARKED AS A CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (CCSO) VEHICLE . I OBSERVED A BLUE SPORTS CAR TYPE VEHICLE HAD BEGUN TO PERFORM A TURN AROUND IN THE CUL-DE-SAC COMING BACK TOWARDS MY PATROL VEHICLE. AS THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO NEAR MY PATROL VEHICLE, I SLIGHTLY MOVED OVER TOWARDS THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROADWAY IN AN ATTEMPT TO INDICATE TO THE DRIVER THAT HE WAS NOT TO LEAVE. HOWEVER, THE DRIVER, WHO IDENTIFIED AS A WHITE MALE WITH A GOATEE, HAD LEFT THE ROADWAY OFF MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR ON TO THE GRASS AND MANEUVERED AROUND MY PATROL VEHICLE. UPON THE DRIVER DOING THIS, I IMMEDIATELY ACTIVATED MY OVERHEAD LIGHTS. AFTER ACTIVATING MY OVERHEAD LIGHTS, I OBSERVED THAT THE SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE HAD TURNED SOUTH ON MARGUERTIA DRIVE, WHICH WAS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND MY PATROL VEHICLE. AS I BEGAN TO PERFORM MY TURN AROUND, SO THAT I COULD TURN ON THE STREET THAT THE SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE TURNED ONTO, I HEARD AND ALSO OBSERVED THE VEHICLE ACCELERATE TO A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. UPON COMING OUT OF THE DITCH AND ON TO THE ROADWAY, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO TRAVEL AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED FLEEING AWAY FROM ME. I ATTEMPTED TO CATCH UP TO THE VEHICLE WHILE HAVING MY EMERGENCY OVERHEAD LIGHTS ON; HOWEVER, AS WE CONTINUED SOUTH ON MARGUERTIA DRIVE, THE SUSPECT VEHICLE HAD ENTERED TWO CURVES ON THIS ROAD. AFTER EXITING THE CURVES, I CAME TO AN INTERSECTION WHICH WAS LOCATED AT WEST MARGUERTIA DRIVE AND NORTH INCA WAY. AT THIS INTERSECTION I HAD LOST SIGHT OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHICH DIRECTION THE VEHICLE HAD FLED. I CONTINUED TO BOLO THE IMMEDIATE AREA; HOWEVER, THIS WAS MET WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS IN LOCATING THE SUSPECT VEHICLE. CONTACT WAS MADE WITH SEVERAL OTHER PERSONS WHO HAD REMAINED AT THE CUL-DE-SAC. ONE OF THE UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS ADVISED THAT THEY BELIEVED THE SUBJECT'S FIRST NAME STARTED WITH AN "R" AND THAT THE VEHICLE HE WAS DRIVING WHEN HE FLED FROM ME WAS A BLUE AUDI WITH GEORGIA TAGS. ON 102110 AT APPROXIMATELY 2245 HOURS, I WENT TO 2960 WEST LAUREL STREET IN LECANTO TO CONDUCT A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION TO THE ABOVE INCIDENT. THE REASON FOR BEING AT THIS ADDRESS WAS BECAUSE A SUBJECT FROM THE CUL-DE-SAC HAD PROVIDED ME WITH A TELEPHONE NUMBER TO A SUBJECT WHO POSSIBLY KNEW THE SUBJECT WHO HAD FLED FROM ME. I HAD TAKEN THE TELEPHONE NUMBER AND HAD A "PS NET" INQUIRY DONE ON IT, WHICH GAVE ME THE ADDRESS OF WEST LAUREL STREET WHERE I WAS CURRENTLY AT. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE LAUREL STREET ADDRESS, I OBSERVED PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY A BLUE AUDI WITH GA TAGS. THIS VEHICLE MATCHED THE SAME DESCRIPTION AS THE ONE THAT HAD FLED FROM ME IN THE ABOVE INCIDENT. WHILE APPROACHING THE VEHICLE AN UNIDENTIFIED INDIVIDUAL BELIEVED TO BE THE HOME OWNER HAD MADE CONTACT WITH ME NEAR THE VEHICLE. I THEN ASKED THIS INDIVIDUAL IF THE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE WAS PRESENT AND HE ADVISED THAT HE WAS. AT WHICH TIME, I THEN ASKED IF HE WOULD HAVE THAT OWNER COME OUTSIDE SO THAT I COULD SPEAK WITH HIM. TO WHICH HE LEFT AND A SHORT TIME LATER THE VEHICLE OWNER MET WITH ME OUTSIDE. UPON THIS INDIVIDUAL STATING THAT HE WAS THE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, I OBSERVED THAT HE WAS THE SAME PERSON AS THE DRIVER THAT HAD FLED FROM ME. I WAS ABLE TO RECOGNIZE HIM AS THE DRIVER, DUE TO WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL HAD GONE AROUND MY PATROL VEHICLE TO LEAVE THE CUL-DE-SAC. I HAD BEEN ABLE TO SEE THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD OF THE VIOLATOR VEHICLE; BECAUSE, OF MY SPOTLIGHT AND THE CLOSE PROXIMITY WHICH WAS ONLY A MATTER OF FEET BETWEEN THE TWO OF OUR VEHICLES. UPON RECOGNIzING THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS IN FACT THE SUSPECT IN THE FLEEING AND ELUDING, I PLACED HIM UNDER ARREST, HANDCUFFED (DOUBLE LOCKED) BEHIND HIS BACK. I READ THE DEFENDANT HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS BY MEANS OF A PRE-PRINTED CARD. THE DEFENDANT STATED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS AND CHOSE TO SPEAK TO ME REGARDING THIS INCIDENT. THE DEFENDANT'S STATEMENT AS TO WHY HE HAD RUN FROM ME AT THE CUL-DE-SAC WAS THAT HE WAS SCARED. THE DEFENDANT HAD ALSO STATED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW I WAS A "COP". I THEN ASKED THE DEFENDANT DID HE NOT SEE MY SPOT LIGHT, MY PATROL VEHICLE AND EVENTUALLY MY OVERHEAD LIGHTS TO WHICH THE DEFENDANT DID NOT HAVE ANY FOLLOW-UP STATEMENT OTHER THAN HIM STATING THAT IT WAS A STUPID THING TO DO. THE DEFENDANT WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY (CCJ) FOR BOOKING AND PROCESSING. WHILE AT THE JAIL, I AFFORDED THE DEFENDANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE A WRITTEN STATEMENT, WHICH HE ADVISED THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO WRITE ONE. WHILE AT THE JAIL I ALLOWED THE DEFENDANT TO SPEAK TO HIS MOTHER TO WORK OUT A BOND ARRANGEMENT. WHILE THE DEFENDANT WAS ON THE TELEPHONE WITH HIS MOTHER, HE ADVISED HER OF HIS CHARGES AND BOND. THE DEFENDANT THEN FOLLOWED UP THE STATEMENT WITH "IT WAS A STUPID MISTAKE AND I DID NOT HAVE A REASON TO DO IT". THE DEFENDANT WAS ISSUED UNIFORM TRAFFIC CITATION (UTC) CITATION NUMBER 2123ESH5 FOR FLEEING AND ATTEMPTING TO ELUDE A POLICE OFFICER WITH A ON DEMAND COURT DATE. THE DEFENDANT SIGNED FOR THIS CITATION AND RECEIVED A COPY OF IT. THE VEHICLE THAT BELONGED TO THE DEFENDANT WAS LEFT THE WEST LAUREL STREET ADDRESS PER THE DEFENDANT'S REQUEST. THE DEFENDANT'S BOND WAS SET AT $1,000.00. "If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the ADA Coordinator at the Office of the Trial Court Administrator, Citrus County Courthouse, 110 North Apopka Avenue, Inverness, Florida 34450, Telephone (352) 341-6700, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.” *NOT-EXEMPT* |
