An Ocala man with a long criminal record was charged with fleeing law enforcement for the second time in less than a month after a car and foot chase in Silver Springs on Wednesday.
Donnie Carlton Martineau, 29, of 4949 NE 26th St., was charged with fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer with lights and siren active, possession of cocaine, possession of more than 20 grams of cocaine, driving with a suspended license, and failure to register a motor vehicle.
Martineau has 10 arrests in Marion County since 2009 on charges including grand theft, burglary, giving false ID to law enforcement, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and numerous drug offenses and probation violations. He spent five days in Marion County Jail in late June for fleeing, failing to register a vehicle and driving with a suspended license, according to jail records.
At around 10 a.m. Wednesday, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy observed a grey Lincoln Town Car with an Alabama license plate being driven recklessly in the 16500 block of East Highway 40. The vehicle was traveling at an excessive speed and passing vehicles in a no-pass zone, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy activated his lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver – later identified as Martineau – accelerated and sped off northbound on Highway 314A. Martineau drove several miles before turned east on NE 49th Street Road and north on NE 171st Avenue Road while still actively fleeing, the report said.
Martineau then turned west onto a small ATV trail while still ignoring the lights and sirens behind his vehicle. He then drove into the Silver Springs campsites neighborhood, where he fled down several dirt roads before crashing into a tree at 5433 NE 167th Court. Martineau and a white male passenger then fled into the woods on foot, according to the report.
Another deputy joined the search and Martineau and the passenger were apprehended in the 5600 block of NE 167th Avenue. Martineau said he fled because of the drugs he had on him and the fact he has no driver’s license. He also said he is currently out on bond for fleeing and eluding, driving with a suspended license and no registration, the report said.
Martineau handed the drugs to the deputy and said they were cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Field tests confirmed the white powder was cocaine and the green leafy substance was marijuana, but the other plastic bag was empty, according to the report.
The Alabama license plate had a sticker saying it expired in 2015, but a records search showed it was not attached to any vehicle. The vehicle identification number came back with no registration assigned to it, the report said.
Martineau is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail. He’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Wednesday to face the charges from last month, and he’ll be back in front of a judge over the new charges on Aug. 18.