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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Citra man riding unregistered motorcycle arrested after fleeing MCSO deputy

A 37-year-old Citra man was arrested after he fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy while riding an unregistered motorcycle.

On Friday, April 29, the MCSO deputy was patrolling the area of E Highway 316 and NE Jacksonville Road in Marion County when a motorcycle was observed without a license plate and headlight. The motorcycle was also traveling northbound in the southbound lane.

The deputy attempted a traffic stop near the 14650 block of NE Jacksonville Road. The motorcycle’s rider, identified as Jesse Aaron Vidal, refused to stop.

Jesse Aaron Vidal
Jesse Aaron Vidal

Vidal continued to travel northbound in the oncoming lane, according to the MCSO report. When he approached the intersection of NE 156th Place and NE Jacksonville Road, he turned around and began traveling southbound.

The deputy continued the pursuit as Vidal turned east onto NE 140th Street, south on NE 10th Court, and then east on Highway 329. When Vidal turned north onto the easement located to the west of the railroad tracks and then headed toward E Highway 316, the deputy lost visual contact.

An MCSO aviation unit located Vidal as he was traveling northbound next to the railroad tracks. The unit tracked him to a residence in the 17000 block of NE 22nd Court in Citra, and deputies located him underneath the back porch of the residence.

Vidal was detained in handcuffs. A search of the motorcycle’s vehicle identification number revealed that it was never registered, and the motorcycle had an engine with a displacement that exceeded 50cc.

Vidal told one of the deputies that he fled because he has an active warrant for his arrest. He refused to discuss the incident any further with the deputy.

The deputy confirmed that Vidal had an active warrant, and a computer search also revealed that Vidal did not have a motorcycle endorsement on his driver’s license.

Vidal was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $17,500 bond. He is facing a felony charge for fleeing a law enforcement officer, along with misdemeanor charges for reckless driving (first offense), failure to register a motor vehicle, operating a motorcycle without a license, and resisting an officer without violence.

A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, May 31 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.