TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A convicted felon, who's just 19 years old, is facing more charges Tuesday. Owantus Johnson was still in handcuffs when he bolted from a Brevard Sheriff's precinct office Monday night while deputies were doing paperwork. They finally captured him three hours later.
The 19-year-old Titusville man was handcuffed and shackled in suicide prevention garb when he appeared before a Brevard County judge Tuesday, accused of resisting arrest and escape.
Monday night, sheriff's deputies pulled Johnson over for a traffic violation and took him to the sheriff's north precinct in Titusville to book him after discovering he was a convicted felon with a gun. Eyewitness News learned the 19-year-old was arrested multiple times as a juvenile and convicted of crimes ranging from burglary to carrying a concealed weapon.
While deputies had Johnson restrained with plastic zip ties, he bolted out the front door while deputies were filling out paperwork. It is unknown if the deputies, who were supposed to be watching him, were in the same room or if Johnson was left alone. The escape prompted an all-out search.
For three hours, deputies scoured surrounding neighborhoods and wooded lots using police dogs and the sheriff's helicopter. Johnson was eventually found less than a mile away on 3rd Avenue where he was taken back into custody and eventually to the Brevard County jail.
Eyewitness News tried contacting the Brevard County Sheriff's Office to give them the opportunity to explain how Johnson escaped and to see if the deputies involved would face any disciplinary action, but the calls were not returned.
Johnson is being held in the Brevard County jail with no bond.
WFTV
