A Belleview man found himself behind bars early Sunday morning after a Marion County sheriff’s deputy had to take evasive action to keep from being hit by his vehicle.
The deputy said the vehicle ran a stop sign at the intersection of SE 137th Street and SE 41st Court and when he attempted to make a traffic stop, the driver, later identified as 54-year-old Michael Norman Schmotzer, failed to pull over. The deputy said his lights and siren were activated and he ordered Schmotzer to stop several times over his public address system, the report says.
The deputy pursued Schmotzer all the way to his home in the 13100 block of SE 38th Court, where he was taken into custody. Schmotzer admitted to knowing that his license was suspended, the report says.
Schmotzer was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer and knowingly driving with license suspended. He is due to appear in a Marion County courtroom on Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. at answer to the charges.