A high-speed chase through Columbia County, Florida ended in an arrest Tuesday night after a driver reportedly clocked at over 100 mph was forced off the road and apprehended by a police dog.
Jeffery Allen Steele, 44, of Wellborn, now faces a laundry list of charges ranging from felony fleeing to narcotics possession following the February 10 incident.
The situation began around 9:30 PM near the intersection of SW Tustenuggee Avenue and SW Cumorah Hill. According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Sweat was monitoring traffic when he spotted a silver Chevy Traverse roll right through a stop sign.
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When the deputy flipped on his lights to pull the SUV over, the driver didn’t tap the brakes—he floored it. Radar units reportedly clocked the Chevy hitting speeds of 102 mph as it tore north on CR-131.
With the SUV weaving through the dark at nearly double the speed limit, deputies scrambled to set up a perimeter. Deputy Lorton managed to get ahead of the pursuit and successfully deployed spike strips at the intersection of SW Bedenbaugh Lane.
The shredded tires slowed the Traverse down just enough for Deputy Sweat to execute a PIT maneuver, spinning the vehicle to a halt just south of CR-242A.
Even with his car disabled and surrounded by patrol units, Steele allegedly refused to come out. After he ignored repeated commands to surrender, K-9 Deputy Stephens released K-9 Kaiju into the vehicle.
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The K-9 assisted in pulling Steele from the SUV, at which point he was taken into custody. A subsequent search of the Chevy turned up various narcotics and drug paraphernalia, all of which were seized as evidence.
Steele was taken to HCA Hospital for a medical evaluation—standard procedure following a K-9 apprehension—before being cleared for jail. He was booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on charges including fleeing and eluding, dangerous speeding, driving with a suspended license (third or more offense), and possession of a controlled substance. His bond has been set at $32,000.
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