A Marion County sheriff’s deputy wasn’t joking when he yelled “I’m gonna catch you!” to a fleeing Ocala man recently.
The deputy attempted to stop a vehicle being driven by 35-year-old Courtney Lamont Ponder after he caught him traveling at 65 mph in a 45-mph speed zone. Ponder refused to stop and turned into a residential area, where he jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot, a sheriff’s office report states.
The deputy quickly caught up with Ponder and took him into custody. He was in possession of cocaine, marijuana with the intent to sell and distribute and drug paraphernalia, the report says.
Ponder also was charged with driving while license suspended (habitual offender) and resisting an officer without violence. He was released early Friday morning on $19,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.