A Mount Dora man was arrested with the help of a K-9 after fleeing a traffic stop and evading a trooper for speeding.
A trooper observed the driver of a silver sedan, later identified as 43-year-old Timothy Michael Towns, speeding near State Roads 453 and 46 at 8:25 a.m. Thursday, May 22, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. Radar confirmed the vehicle’s speed to be 63 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.
The trooper subsequently turned on his emergency lights and sirens for a traffic stop. However, the vehicle continued to slow roll. He used his PA system to tell Towns to pull to the left shoulder where it was safer, the report said.
Towns pointed instead, indicating he was going to get off the highway and pull over on State Road 46. With lights and sirens still on, the trooper told him to stop and pull over again. The vehicle continued going at a slow speed and made a right turn onto Round Lake Road to pull onto the shoulder north of State Road 46, the report said.
The trooper got out of his patrol vehicle to tell Towns to roll his windows down and show his hands. He did not listen, instead fleeing from the traffic stop. He made a U-turn to go south on Round Lake Road, and the trooper clearly saw Towns as he passed, the report said.
The trooper returned to his patrol vehicle and pursued the fleeing silver vehicle. It made a right turn onto State Road 46, then a left turn onto Sun Eagle Drive. It was a dead road and caused Towns to make a U-turn, the report said.
The Trooper tried to block the vehicle in, but Towns evaded him. He made a right turn onto State Road 46 from Sun Eagle Drive, which was where the trooper lost sight of the vehicle in heavy traffic. The trooper stopped his pursuit and gave dispatch the vehicle’s tag number and description. He also gave a description of Towns, the report said.
Dispatch put out a “Be on the lookout” alert to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Mount Dora Police Department. At about 8:50 a.m., the MDPD got a call from a witness saying a man fitting Towns’ description ran from a silver Toyota sedan northbound through an apartment complex. The MDPD responded with a K-9 and started tracking him, the report said.
Towns was apprehended in the tree line of a wooded area where the witness stated she saw him flee from the vehicle on foot. The trooper arrived on scene and positively identified him. The report noted his wallet was found in the back passenger seat and contained his ID card.
Towns was arrested on charges of flee/elude police (high speed or disregard safety of persons/property), driving while license suspended (third or subsequent offense) and resist officer (obstruct without violence). He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $31,000.