CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – A couple was arrested after they hit a DeSoto County deputy and dragged him during a stolen truck chase Monday morning.
Deputies were notified because of a license plate reader that revealed the truck was stolen out of Lee County. CCSO began to follow the truck as it made its way down U.S. 17 toward DeSoto County. Deputies notified officials in the neighboring county.
According to CCSO, a DeSoto County deputy spotted the stolen vehicle that pulled into a small apartment complex at 305 Duncan Road. The stolen car never actually made it into DeSoto County. This apartment complex is not far from the county line, though.
A witness, Robert Newman, said the deputy was yelling instructions at the occupants of the truck, Josie Bigelow (19) and her boyfriend Cylis Martin (20).
Bigelow quickly revved the engine and attempted to drive away, hitting the deputy’s truck and crashing into a mailbox.
“Stop, don’t do it, stop,” Newman recalled the deputy screaming.
Newman described a fight that happened, including the deputy being dragged by the stolen vehicle. It was during that fight the gun went off.
Bigelow accelerated away from the scene, traveling south on Duncan Road. During the altercation, the deputy’s radio fell into the truck and Bigelow would later throw the radio out of the truck while fleeing the scene, CCSO said.
“All the doors were open, and they took off down the road,” Newman said.
The stolen vehicle was located near the water of 29106 Tamayo Drive in Punta Gorda.
A CCSO K9 team was able to find Bigelow and Martin hiding inside the stolen truck in a wooded area at 29171 Edgewood Street. Two handguns were in plain sight on the driver’s side floor.
Martin admitted to deputies that one of the guns was his and the other was stolen. When deputies searched him they found methamphetamine and marijuana wax hidden in his underwear.
Bigelow is being charged with:
- grand theft
- resisting arrest with violence
- tampering with evidence
Martin is being charged with:
- aggravated battery on an officer
- possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
- resisting arrest with violence
- possession of a controlled substance without a prescription (2 counts)
- grand theft of a firearm
The post Duo arrested after dragging DeSoto deputy, forcing gunfire during stolen truck chase appeared first on NBC2 News.
