A 25-year-old Ocala man afraid of being picked up for violating his probation led deputies on a high-speed chase through a residential neighborhood and then tried to flee on foot before being arrested last week.
Sidney Fredderick Furgerson, of 6887 SW 129th Lane, is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail on charges of fleeing/eluding police with disregard of safety to persons or property and resisting an officer without violence, along with probation violations for two cases of robbery with a non-deadly weapon in Volusia County.
Shortly after 2 a.m. on Jan. 11, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy observed a silver Cadillac traveling in the 8500 block of SW Highway 484 at 80 mph in a posted 55-mph zone. The vehicle accelerated as the deputy turned around to follow it, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Another deputy saw the same vehicle traveling about 100 mph in a posted 45-mphzone in the 8000 block. Both deputies got behind the vehicle and activated emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop. At that point, the vehicle willfully fled through a residential neighborhood at more than 80 mph, driving against the regular flow of traffic and on the sidewalk with a wanton disregard for safety, the report said.
The vehicle came to a stop near the intersection of SW 129th Street and SW 72nd Terrace Road. The driver – later identified as Furgerson – jumped out o the car and tried to flee on foot. A deputy eventually caught up to him on SW 73rd Avenue, and Furgerson stopped running and surrendered, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda warning, Furgerson said he fled because he is on probation and didn’t want to be in violation. He is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Feb. 16.