A routine traffic stop turned into a high-speed pursuit through Levy County early Wednesday morning, resulting in the capture of a wanted felon and the arrest of a Port Charlotte woman.
The incident began around 2:24 a.m. on April 8, 2026, when Corporal Dean MacIntyre spotted a vehicle blow through a stop sign at the intersection of NE 94 Terrace and NE 66 Lane. When MacIntyre attempted to pull the car over, the driver refused to stop and sped away from the neighborhood.
The chase stretched toward Bronson before the driver turned onto SR 24, heading for Otter Creek. Authorities reported that the driver showed no regard for public safety, crossing the intersection of US 19 without stopping.
The Florida Highway Patrol joined the pursuit and eventually used a precision immobilization technique (PIT) west of Otter Creek to force the vehicle to a stop.
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Once the car was disabled, deputies identified the driver as 42-year-old Angela N. Birkholz. According to officials, Birkholz admitted she fled because she knew her driver’s license was invalid. She was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and child neglect, as a 15-year-old juvenile was found in the backseat. Her bond is set at $110,000.
The front-seat passenger initially gave deputies a fake name, but investigators later identified him as 33-year-old Travis W. Merrell of Arcadia. Merrell was wanted on several violent felony warrants out of Charlotte County. During the roadside investigation, deputies discovered Merrell was in possession of methamphetamines, which he allegedly tried to destroy after the PIT maneuver.
Merrell now faces local charges of possession of methamphetamines, providing a false name to law enforcement, resisting arrest, and tampering with evidence, with a bond set at $150,000.
He is also being held on the outstanding warrants, which include aggravated assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, shooting into an occupied conveyance, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Those warrants carry an additional $350,000 in bonds.
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The 15-year-old passenger was taken into protective custody and later released to a family member.
Reflecting on the joint operation, Sheriff McCallum expressed gratitude for the collaboration between agencies.
“Thank you to the Florida Highway Patrol for their assistance in helping bring this dangerous criminal into custody,” McCallum said. “This type of cooperative work is the essence of law enforcement’s commitment to the safety of our community. This was great work by our deputies and this Trooper, who by the grace of God, were not injured performing this dangerous work.”
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