A 51-year-old Texas man was arrested in Ocala after he stole a relative’s vehicle and fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
On Friday, February 4, an MCSO corporal along with a deputy trainee responded to the area of SW 10th Street and S Pine Avenue in Ocala in reference to a stolen vehicle.
The deputy observed a white Kia Soul that was traveling southbound near the 3500 block of N Pine Avenue. A computer search of the vehicle’s license plate revealed that it was stolen out of Eustis in Lake County.
The deputy followed the vehicle until additional MCSO units were able to respond. Another deputy arrived in the area, activated the patrol car’s emergency lights, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle in the 2200 block of S Pine Avenue.
The vehicle continued to travel southbound, and the deputy activated the patrol car’s siren. Due to the driver’s refusal to stop, the deputy successfully conducted a Precision Immobilization Technique (P.I.T.) maneuver near the 2500 block of SE 1st Avenue.
The driver, later identified as Gregory G. Kinsey, ignored the deputy’s commands to exit the vehicle with his hands behind his back.
According to the MCSO report, the vehicle’s window was forcefully broken. Kinsey was removed from the vehicle, and he was taken to the ground.
Kinsey refused to place his hands behind his back, and he repeatedly reached for his waistband. A K-9 deputy was deployed to get Kinsey to comply with orders, and he was arrested.
Kinsey was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center for a DUI investigation. He stated that he would fail field sobriety exercises since he “just used crack cocaine.”
During the investigation, Kinsey stated that he had cocaine in his mouth. He spit out a white rock-like substance that later field-tested positive for cocaine.
While at the hospital, an MCSO detective interviewed Kinsey. When the detective inquired about what had happened, Kinsey said, “I (expletive) up and got high.” He added that he was visiting family members in Leesburg when he took a vehicle that belonged to one of his relatives.
The deputy asked if Kinsey was allowed to take the vehicle, and he responded by saying, “Not as long as I did.”
Kinsey mentioned that he ignored his relative’s phone calls and drove the vehicle to Gainesville where he purchased cocaine. He did not stop when the deputy attempted the traffic stop because “he was scared and had been using.”
Once Kinsey was medically cleared from the hospital, he was transported to Marion County Jail where he was later released on $7,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer with lights and siren activated, and possession of cocaine.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, March 8 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.