An Ocala man who was driving without a valid license last week was arrested after refusing to pull over for a Marion County sheriff’s lieutenant until he arrived at his home.
Christopher Alexander Minton, 27, was taken into custody at his residence at 5448 NW 3rd St. shortly after noon Tuesday after the sheriff’s lieutenant spotted him driving a white Chevy Cobalt. The lieutenant said he knew that Minton didn’t have a driver’s license or valid tag on the vehicle, so attempted to stop him. He said that Minton finally stopped at his house and attempted to go inside the residence until he saw the lieutenant and walked back to the front of the vehicle, a Marion County sheriff’s report states.
The lieutenant ordered Minton to drop a white bandana he was holding and kick it under the vehicle. Minton was then placed in handcuffs and the lieutenant waited for another deputy to arrive as backup.
A short time later, the second deputy arrived and recovered the bandana, which contained a used syringe and spoon with a brown residue on it that field tested positive for heroin. Minton then told the deputy he didn’t want to speak with him and he was transported to the Marion County Jail.
A criminal background check showed that Minton’s license was suspended on Aug. 22, 2017, for failure to pay a traffic fine, again on Nov. 26, 2017 for failure to pay a court financial obligation, and a third time on Dec. 27, 2017 for failure to pay a traffic fine, the report says.
Minton was charged with driving with a suspended license and possession of drug equipment and held on no bond. He also had a third charge from Aug. 18 of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription reinstated after his $2,000 bond was revoked.
Minton is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom on Sept. 18 on the earlier charge and again on Oct. 15 on the two new charges.