LAKE CITY, Fla. – A high-speed pursuit in Columbia County ended with a K-9 apprehension after deputies used spike strips and a P.I.T. maneuver to stop the vehicle, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.
At about 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 10, a deputy working traffic enforcement near County Road 131 (SW Tustenuggee Avenue) and SW Cumorah Hill attempted to stop a silver Chevrolet Traverse that failed to stop at a stop sign, the sheriff’s office said. The vehicle accelerated away and was clocked at 102 mph.
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The chase continued north on CR-131 at about 100 mph. A deputy deployed spike strips at CR-131 and SW Bedenbaugh Lane, slowing the vehicle enough for another deputy to perform a P.I.T. maneuver and stop it just south of CR-242A, the sheriff’s office said.
After the vehicle stopped, the driver, identified as Jeffery Allen Steele, 44, of Wellborn, refused officers’ commands to exit. A K-9 was deployed into the vehicle, Steele was removed and taken into custody. Deputies searched the vehicle after the arrest and found multiple narcotics and drug paraphernalia, the sheriff’s office said.
Steele was taken to a nearby hospital for medical clearance and then booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on a $32,000 bond.
He faces multiple charges, including fleeing and eluding, dangerous speeding (50 mph or more), driving with a suspended or revoked license (third or subsequent offense), obstruction without violence, having a tag not assigned to the vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, according to the sheriff’s office.