LAKE CITY, Fla. – A more than 3-1/2-hour chase and search for a suspected car thief ended when Jacob Dennis Chosie fell from a tall tree, police said.
The hunt began around 4 p.m. Sunday. While detaining two suspects in connection with a car theft, Lake City police received a call about a suspicious person who was was threatening to shoot "anyone who messes with him."
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Police set up a perimeter, and when an officer saw Chosie, 34, run past the perimeter and into a nearby wooded area. A bloodhound tracking team was brought in and an assisting unit from the Columbia County Sheriff's office saw Chosie enter the Lake Montgomery neighborhood. Clay County Sheriff's office K-9 units joined the chase as the neighborhood was locked down.
Chosie was located in a tall tree just after 7:30 p.m. Officers said they tried to talk him down, but he would not comply. Several Lake City police climbed nearby trees, but before they could reach him, Chosie fell, landed at the base of the tree and suffered multiple fractures. He was taken to Shands Lake Shore Hospital, where he was treated before being taken to the Columbia County Jail.
Chosie is charged with burglary, trespassing, vehicle theft, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.
Two others, Crystal Wingo and Thomas Williams are charged with grand theft. Williams is also charged with possession of marijuana and giving a false name.
Chosie was unarmed at the time of his arrest and officers were could not find a weapon in the immediate area. The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement will assist LCPD with a search of the area. If anyone in the area discovers a discarded firearm, they are urged not to touch it and to contact LCPD at 386-752-4343.