A 37-year-old Leesburg man was arrested after trying to flee Lake County sheriff’s deputies in a stolen truck.
Cody Allen Calton, of 2215 Hialeah Ave., was charged with grand theft auto, fleeing/eluding with wanton disregard, driving with a suspended license (third or subsequent offense), and attaching a tag that was not assigned to his vehicle.
Shortly after midnight Saturday, a deputy traveling east on County Road 44 observed a white Chevy truck also traveling east with an extremely loud muffler and an inoperable tag light. As the deputy sped up to catch up to the truck, it made an abrupt right turn onto Forest Drive and started to accelerate, according to the sheriff’s office report.
When the deputy activated his patrol car’s blue emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, the truck ran through a ditch and entered CR-44 and headed westbound in the eastbound lanes in an attempt to flee. The deputy ended the chase and radioed to other units about the truck, the report said.
Moments later, another deputy at the intersection of CR-44 and Poe Street reported that a white truck flew past him at a high speed. A third deputy was sitting at the intersection of CR-44 and Treasure Island Road with stop sticks and was able to strike the truck’s tires as it turned onto Treasure Island Road, according to the report.
The first deputy traveled down Treasure Island Road and saw where the truck had failed to navigate a curve and was disabled in a swampy area. The deputy observed Calton standing outside the vehicle and placed him under arrest, the report said.
A search of Calton’s driving record showed he does not have a valid license and he has multiple suspensions. He’s also been arrested three times for driving with a suspended license, according to the report.
During an inspection of the vehicle, it was discovered that the tag belonged to a white 2006 Ford truck, while the VIN number showed the vehicle was a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado that was reported stolen in Lake County on Sept. 27, the report said.
Calton was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released later in the day on $15,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on Nov. 21.
