PALM COAST, Fla. — A Palm Coast man was arrested Sunday after deputies said he fled a traffic stop initiated by Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, speeding between cars with a passenger on the back of his motorcycle.
Jacob Lunsford, 23, faces a charge of fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer with lights and siren activated, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff says rider sped away after stopping
The encounter began around 12:20 p.m. Nov. 1 as Staly traveled west on State Road 100 in an unmarked agency vehicle.
According to the sheriff’s office, Staly saw a bright blue motorcycle accelerating rapidly and weaving between lanes. He paced it at 66 mph in a 50-mph zone and activated his emergency lights and siren.
The motorcycle stopped in a turn lane near State Road 100 and Belle Terre Parkway. Deputies said Lunsford turned to look directly at Staly before accelerating north on Belle Terre Parkway, passing between lanes of traffic as his passenger held on.
The motorcycle’s license plate was bent and mounted near its frame, making it unreadable, according to the release.
Staly did not pursue because of the danger to the public and the passenger, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies locate driver later that day
Deputies used investigative technology to track the motorcycle and identify Lunsford, according to the sheriff’s office. The release did not specify what technology was used.
Deputies later stopped a car in which Lunsford was riding as a passenger after he left his Palm Coast home. Staly arrived, identified him as the motorcycle’s driver and arrested him, the agency said.
“This guy turned a minor traffic infraction into a felony arrest,” Staly said.
Lunsford received four traffic citations for speeding, an obscured tag, willful and wanton reckless driving, and fleeing and eluding. He also received a written warning for not updating the address on his driver’s license.
He was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later released on a $2,650 bond, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office seized the 2004 Yamaha motorcycle for forfeiture.
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