A 47-year-old Marion County man was arrested after allegedly stealing a Cadillac and leading deputies on a high-speed chase that ended with a rollover crash.
On Monday, January 26, two Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies observed a Cadillac SRX that was stopped at a red light at the intersection of SW 108th Place and N Williams Street in Dunnellon. A license plate query on the vehicle revealed that it had been reported stolen out of Citrus County, according to the arrest report.
The deputies conducted a traffic stop of the Cadillac, and the driver, later identified as Dunnellon resident Joseph Henry Marone, exited the vehicle. However, the report said that Marone refused to follow instructions and re-entered the vehicle.
Moments later, Marone allegedly started the Cadillac and sped away from the traffic stop, heading southbound on N Williams Street. According to the report, Marone continued fleeing southbound into Citrus County, which forced the MCSO deputies to end their pursuit.
MCSO identified Marone as the driver of the stolen Cadillac, and a criminal history search revealed that he was wanted in Marion County for allegedly stealing nearly $46 worth of merchandise from a local Walmart.
On Thursday, January 29, MCSO deputies observed the stolen Cadillac entering a neighborhood in Dunnellon, and the vehicle was found in the driveway of a residence located on SW 109th Lane. A traffic stop was attempted, but the Cadillac’s driver (Marone) allegedly fled from the deputies at a high rate of speed.
The pursuit came to an end when the Cadillac crashed into a telephone pole, flipped over, and struck a concrete structure owned by a local business. Marone then allegedly crawled out of the vehicle’s sunroof before attempting to run away from deputies.
Marone was quickly apprehended and detained in handcuffs. The report said that a “purple Crown Royal bag” had been “thrown out of the [Cadillac]” during the rollover crash, and it contained a prescription bottle labeled “trazodone” that did not belong to Marone.
Following the crash, Marone was placed under arrest and transported to an area hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. He is being charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property, fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer with lights and siren active, possession of a harmful new legend drug without prescription, second-degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense), and resisting an officer without violence.
Jail records show that Marone is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3.
As of Monday, February 2, a booking photo of Marone is not yet available.