FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A fugitive who has been on the run for four years has been arrested in Flagler County after fleeing a traffic stop attempt and crashing.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said that on Wednesday, their deputies observed a gold-colored Chevrolet Sedan speeding on South U.S. 1. They attempted to pull over the vehicle but the driver, later identified as 24-year-old Michael Anthony Ross, attempted to flee after initially slowing down.
Ross' speeding reportedly ended at North State Street in Bunnell when he ran a red light, lost control of his car, and crashed. With his car now disabled, Ross attempted to flee the crash on foot. Deputies caught up with him and were able to secure him by utilizing an agency-issued taser.
They said that Ross initially refused to give his identity, but technology revealed that he was a fugitive from Wisconsin wanted for Violation of Probation for Armed Burglary and that he has been on the run for the past four years.
"This is another great example of how technology and good police work can pair together to fight crime," Sheriff Rick Staly said. "When a deputy initiates a traffic stop they never know what they are walking into. In this case, deputies caught a wanted fugitive who has been on the run for four years. I am glad no one was hurt by his reckless actions. Let this be a lesson to fugitives who think they can hide out in Flagler County. We will find you, you will go to jail, and we will use our technology to get you."
Michael Anthony Ross was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on several charges, including Fleeing and Eluding, Resisting an Officer Without Violence, Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Injuries, and Driving Without a License. He is being held on a $6,000 bond.
This story was written in Orlando, Florida.