A 52-year-old convicted felon from Ocala is behind bars after he was accused of crashing a stolen pickup truck into a tree and fleeing the scene of the accident.
On December 14, shortly after 10:15 p.m., a Florida Highway Patrol trooper arrived at the intersection of NW 62nd Avenue and NW 47th Place in Ocala in reference to a Dodge Ram pickup truck colliding with a tree. The trooper observed that the truck had heavy front-end damage, and a search of its license plate revealed that the vehicle had recently been reported stolen in Ocala, according to the arrest report.
The driver had fled from the pickup truck prior to the arrival of law enforcement. The report stated that a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy was at the scene with a K-9 partner, and the K-9 managed to locate a man hiding in the backyard of a nearby property.
The man was identified as Wesley Leon Lindsey.
Lindsey spontaneously uttered that he was involved in a wreck, and he stated that his phone was inside of the pickup truck. He was transported to a local hospital, and an FHP trooper proceeded to conduct a search of the truck.
The report stated the trooper located Lindsey’s phone inside the pickup truck, along with ammunition that was on the driver’s side. The phone was returned to Lindsey and the ammunition was collected for evidence.
At around 12:30 a.m. on December 15, local law enforcement officers and an FHP trooper made contact with Lindsey at the hospital. After being read his Miranda rights, Lindsey admitted that he was driving the pickup truck when it crashed into a tree. He stated that the accident occurred because he was unaware that the road he was traveling on was a dead end.
After the crash, Lindsey claimed that he left the scene in an attempt to “find aid.” In the report, a trooper noted that Lindsey’s phone was left in the pickup truck, and he was “found hiding by the property without attempting to find aid.”
During the post-Miranda interview, Lindsey initially claimed that someone had let him borrow the pickup truck, though he later admitted to stealing it on December 13. He stated that he had entered the vehicle “because he was cold,” and he found the keys on the driver’s side visor, according to the report.
Lindsey told investigators that he took the pickup truck without permission and “knew he was not supposed to.” He further admitted that he found .22-caliber ammunition inside the vehicle, and he attempted to sell it so he could “buy some drugs.” A trooper noted in the report that Lindsey has multiple prior felony convictions, and he is therefore prohibited from possessing ammunition under federal law.
After being medically cleared, Lindsey was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on $5,500 bond. He is being charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, possessing a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, driving with a suspended or revoked license (third or subsequent offense), and leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property.
According to court records, Lindsey has entered a written plea of “not guilty.” His next court appearance is scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.