A Morriston man found himself behind bars Friday after a vehicle pursuit that ended up putting an Ocala high school on alert.
Ocala Police officers responded at about 11 a.m. to calls of stolen vehicle from Ford of Ocala, located at 2816 N. Pine Avenue. The vehicle, a Ford F-450 truck, was located traveling in the area of N. Pine and 35th Street. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, which led to a pursuit that lasted several minutes before the large truck became stuck in a wooded area along a row of power lines off NW 16th Avenue, a police report states, adding that Vanguard High School was put on a brief code yellow as a precaution due to proximity.
The truck’s driver, later identified as 51-year-old James Malcolm Bonner, attempted to flee on foot but was quickly taken into custody. He was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle; fleeing and attempting to elude (disregard for public safety); and resisting an officer without violence. He is being held in the jail and neither his bond information nor next court date was available Friday night.