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Friday, March 29, 2024

Convicted felon arrested after crashing stolen pickup truck into tree in Umatilla

A 35-year-old convicted felon who was driving a stolen pickup truck was arrested after he fled from several Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies and crashed into a tree in Umatilla.

On Monday, the MCSO deputies were on patrol near the 14000 block of SE 202nd Terrace in Umatilla when they spotted a red Ford F-150 pickup truck. A computer records check of the vehicle’s license plate revealed that it was stolen, according to the MCSO report.

The deputies activated the emergency lights and siren on their patrol car, and a traffic stop was attempted in the 14200 block of SE 202nd Terrace. The driver of the pickup truck, later identified as Mark Bee Minney, refused to stop.

Mark Bee Minney
Mark Bee Minney

A pursuit was initiated. The MCSO report indicated that at one point during the pursuit, Minney drove the pickup truck through a chain link fence in the 20000 block of SE 141st Place. The pickup truck continued through a wooded lot where it struck a tree.

The deputies removed Minney from the pickup truck. The vehicle’s license plate was confirmed to be stolen out of Ohio. A check of the vehicle identification number also revealed that the pickup truck had been reported as stolen out of Massillon, Ohio.

One of the deputies located a capped hypodermic needle in Minney’s pocket. Additional hypodermic needles were discovered inside the pickup truck during a search, and the needles field-tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

The pickup truck also contained multiple rounds of .22-caliber ammunition. A criminal history search of Minney revealed that he was previously convicted of multiple felonies, and the most recent conviction was out of Canton, Ohio on April 24, 2020.

Minney admitted that he did not have a valid driver’s license. The deputy confirmed that Minney only had an Ohio identification card that was currently suspended.

Minney was arrested and transported to AdventHealth Ocala for medical treatment. Once he was medically cleared, he was then transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $26,500 bond.

He is facing felony charges for fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and possession of a weapon or ammunition by an out-of-state convicted felon. In addition, he is also facing misdemeanor charges for possession of drug paraphernalia and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.