A 24-year-old Belleview man is being charged with driving under the influence after he fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office sergeant who had observed him swerving off the road several times.
On Saturday, May 28, the MCSO sergeant was traveling eastbound near the 9500 block of County Road 25 in Marion County when a pickup truck was observed traveling westbound. When the pickup truck passed the sergeant’s patrol car, the sergeant looked in the side mirror and saw the pickup truck’s passenger side wheels veer off the roadway.
The sergeant turned around and pulled behind the pickup truck. According to the MCSO report, the vehicle swerved off the roadway two more times, and the sergeant activated the patrol car’s emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop.
The pickup truck continued to travel on County Road 25 and then turned south onto SE 110th Avenue. The sergeant activated the patrol car’s sirens, and the driver of the pickup truck, later identified as Jacob Michael Donna, refused to stop.
Donna turned onto SE 122nd Lane and then traveled southbound on SE 102nd Avenue. The sergeant noted in the report that the pickup truck continued to travel on several roads, made multiple turns, and ran stop signs through several neighborhoods. After approximately six minutes, Donna stopped the pickup truck near the intersection of SE 104th Terrace and SE 128th Street.
A felony traffic stop was conducted at the intersection and Donna was detained. The sergeant noted in the report that Donna appeared to be “highly intoxicated,” and the odor of alcohol was “very strong and overwhelming.” Donna’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, his speech was slurred, and he had a difficult time standing up.
An MCSO corporal arrived on scene and observed that Donna was unsteady on his feet. The corporal also noted in the report that Donna had slurred speech and his eyes were watery and bloodshot.
Donna was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he refused to participate in field sobriety exercises. He also refused to provide a breath sample. The corporal conducted a computer search of Donna and discovered that he was previously convicted of a DUI in July of 2019.
On Sunday, May 29, Donna was released from the jail on $4,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer and a misdemeanor charge for driving under the influence of alcohol.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, June 28 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.