LAKELAND, Fla. – A Lakeland man’s attempt to outrun the law ended in a thicket of trees Thursday afternoon after he realized his own sister was on the phone with the deputies.
Dustin Watson, 44, was already a wanted man when Polk County Sheriff’s deputies tracked him down on April 16. Watson carried active warrants for felony simple battery and aggravated battery, but it wasn’t until around 3:50 p.m. that authorities got the break they needed.
Deputies received a tip that Watson was traveling with his sister and placed a call to her mobile phone.
At the time of the call, the pair was driving through the intersection of Marianna Road and Kaylor Road in Auburndale. According to investigators, Watson quickly caught on to who his sister was talking to.
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Rather than waiting for the flashing lights, he hopped out and bolted into the nearby brush.
Deputies flooded the area and narrowed Watson’s location down to a specific wooded patch. While he initially ignored commands to surrender, he eventually gave up and walked out of the woods to face the waiting officers.
Watson was transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center. In addition to his original felony warrants, he now faces a new charge of resisting an officer without violence.
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