A 62-year-old Ocala man with more than 20 prior arrests led deputies on car and foot chases and had to be tased before being arrested on drug possession and other charges.
William Randall Nichols, of 1200 SE 108th Terrace, was charged with possession of methamphetamine, fleeing/eluding police, resisting an officer with violence, driving with a suspended license, four counts of failure to appear in court, and warrants for burglary and grand theft.
Marion County Jail records show Nichols has been arrested 22 times since 1995 on charges including drug possession, burglary, grand theft, larceny, dealing in stolen property, resisting arrest, introduction of contraband into a detention facility, operating a chop shop, being a fugitive of justice from Alabama, aggravated assault with a firearm, armed commercial burglary, simple battery, contempt of court and DUI.
His latest arrest happened Monday when Marion County sheriff’s deputies observed a green and tan Chevy SUV with a possibly stolen license tag. The vehicle was sitting in a driveway near the intersection of SW 67th Terrace and 84th Street, according to the sheriff’s office report.
While the tag was being confirmed as stolen out of Belleview, the vehicle started traveling west on SW 84th Street. Deputies conducted a traffic stop at the 8400 block of SW 68th Terrace. The driver, Nichols, asked the deputies if he could help them. After being old to shut off the vehicle, Nichols put it in drive and drove away, the report said.
Deputies pursued the vehicle until the chase was canceled due to Nichols entering a residential neighborhood. A few minutes later, another deputy saw Nichols traveling at a high speed near the 8500 block of SW 65th Avenue Road. The deputy followed the vehicle and saw Nichols get out and run into the woods at the 8700 block of SW 65th Avenue Road, according to the report.
The deputy pursued Nichols on foot and ordered him to stop running, but he continued to flee. The deputy deployed his taser and was able to bring Nichols into custody. The other deputies responded to the location and identified Nichols as the driver of the vehicle when they conducted the traffic stop, the report said.
While sitting in the patrol car, Nichols spontaneously said he had methamphetamine in his wallet. The deputy looked in the wallet and observed a clear plastic bag containing a white crystal-like substance. The substance field tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the report.
Nichols told the deputies his license was suspended and a computer search revealed it was suspended indefinitely in December for failure to pay a traffic fine. Nichols said the stolen tag belonged to a man he knows and he told the man he had taken it off is vehicle to use it. He couldn’t remember the man’s name, the report said.
Nichols is being held in the Marion County Jail on $22,500 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on May 5.