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Friday, March 29, 2024

Man driving stolen vehicle arrested in Reddick after fleeing MCSO deputy

A 43-year-old Ocala man was arrested after he fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy while driving a vehicle that was reported stolen.

On Sunday, July 31, the MCSO deputy was conducting a routine patrol near the 22000 block of W Highway 329 in Reddick when a black Nissan sedan was observed making a U-turn in the middle of the road.

According to the MCSO report, the deputy confirmed that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of the Gainesville Police Department. The deputy activated the patrol car’s emergency lights and siren in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle continued traveling southbound on Highway 329 at a high rate of speed.

The deputy followed the vehicle as it traveled southbound through several intersections with four-way stops. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Elvis Williams, Jr., then turned northbound onto NW 110th Avenue.

Elvis Williams, Jr.
Elvis Williams, Jr.

The deputy successfully completed a precision immobilization technique (P.I.T.) maneuver near the 17800 block of NW 110th Avenue, and the vehicle pursuit came to an end.

Williams exited the vehicle from the driver’s seat and began running northbound, and the deputy noted in the report that Williams was carrying a black and tan bag in his hands. Another MCSO deputy, along with a canine partner, tracked Williams to a small shed, and he was successfully apprehended.

The deputy and canine partner located the bag that Williams had been carrying when he exited the stolen vehicle. Inside the bag, the deputy found the following items:

  • A loaded handgun that had also been reported stolen.
  • Multiple identification cards that belonged to different individuals.
  • A plastic baggie filled with a brown powder-like substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl.
  • A plastic baggie filled with a crystal rock-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
  • A small plastic Ziploc bag filled with a clear crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.

MCSO dispatch informed the deputy that Williams only had an identification card. He did not possess a valid driver’s license.

The MCSO report indicated that Williams refused to discuss the incident with the deputy.

Williams was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $18,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer at high speed, grand theft of a firearm, grand theft of a vehicle, and possession of a controlled substance (three counts).

Williams is also facing additional misdemeanor charges for resisting an officer without violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a vehicle without a valid license.

A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, August 30 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.