A Lake County sheriff’s deputy’s K-9 assisted in capturing a suspected truck thief.
Deputies had been advised to look out for a white GMC Sierra which had been stolen Tuesday from a local business. A Lake County deputy spotted the truck driving northbound on U.S. Hwy. 441 early Wednesday morning. When the truck accelerated to get away from the deputy, he radioed for assistance. Deputies deployed stop sticks near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 441 and County Road 44 in Leesburg. The stolen truck ran over the stop sticks, puncturing all the trucks tires. The driver, later identified as 35-year-old Barry Earl Wilbanks, continued to drive the truck even though the tires came off the wheels.
When the truck pulled into a section of Edgewood Road it stopped and Wilbanks bailed out of the truck and began to flee on foot. A K-9 team arrive and the K-9 started tracking Wilbanks from the vehicle until the K-9 caught him approximately .2 miles from the truck.
When questioned by the deputy, Wilbanks said he was only driving the truck and did not know where it came from, according to the arrest report. He then changed his story and said he was only riding in the bed of the truck.
A records check revealed that Wilbanks did not have a valid driver’s license, has three driving while license suspended charges and is presently on Florida Inmate Release status for grand theft of a motor vehicle.
After being treated at the hospital for his K-9 bites he was taken to the Lake County Jail where he was charged with fleeing to elude a patrol car, driving while license suspended, grand theft auto, criminal mischief, burglary to an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft, resisting arrest, and refusing to sign citation. Bond was set at $18,000.
