NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – The son of the man who led Nassau County deputies on a chase, that ended when the man jumped into a river, said his father was a loving and caring person.
Surveillance video showed who deputies identified as Gregory Maxwell, 48, leading them on a high-speed chase Sunday night. Maxwell drove away from deputies who were trying to pull him over for a broken tail light, investigators said.
Maxwell jumped out of the car, ran into a wooded area and jumped into the Trout River. According to the report, when deputies told him to get out of the water, Maxwell told deputies he wasn't going to jail and went under water.
His body was found a few hours later by a marine unit.
Maxwell's son Terrance Whitley said his father's behavior was unlike him.
"I had just seen him the day before. He was telling me he had a job lined up," Whitley said. "Everything was going well."
Whitley said when ever his father was going through a hard time, he would always bounce back.
| Nassau County Sheriff's Office dash-cam recorded end of Sunday night's chase. |
"That's what I liked about him. You'd never see him down too long, he'd always get back up," Whitley said. "That's what he always told me, 'never stay down always get back up.'"
Whitley said he didn't think his father was going through anything that would lead to what happened. He's remembering his dad as a loving and caring man he always respected.
The incident report shows deputies found drugs after searching Maxwell's car. Investigators believe he was impaired and said he was driving at speeds up to 109 miles-per-hour.