A man stole a car in one Florida county — then got nabbed in another, cops say: ‘Bad luck’
A team effort by cops in Central Florida amounted to one epic takedown over the weekend.
According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, a call came from the law enforcement folks late Saturday morning in nearby Charlotte County, about 25 miles to the south, in reference to a stolen car headed in that direction. It was described as a white Ford F-350 truck hauling a trailer.
“Unbeknownst to the driver, we had an advantage in that it was being monitored by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit,” said the DCSO’s Facebook post.
A deputy was able to locate the vehicle in question in Arcadia, and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled.
A short time later, the truck crashed into a fence. Then police say the driver, later identified as Jose Gutierrez, ran off into a large, wooded area.
READ MORE: What started out as a simple traffic stop turned into a major arrest in Florida
Several units responded — including three K9 officers Lucy, Bonzai and Kita — for the assist in heavy rain.
Despite a massive downpour, the group was able to “stay hot on the trail” of the suspect, who ended up dashing toward a house.
“Again, he had some bad luck,” running into several deputies and then taken “safely taken into custody,” the release says.
The 26-year-old Wauchula man was arrested a few hours later, at around 4:30 p.m. He faces numerous charges including unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, criminal mischief with damage to property, resisting an officer without violence, operating a motor vehicle without a valid license and failing to obey a law enforcement officer’s order to stop.
Gutierrez remained in custody at DeSoto County Jail on $16,120 bond as of Monday afternoon. His next court date is set for Oct. 31.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 4:47 PM.
