Juvenile’s joyride ends in arrest

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- A North Fort Myers teen driving a set of stolen wheels is probably second-guessing that decision.

Following an attempt to elude deputies, the 17-year-old faces charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.

It all began Tuesday around 9 a.m. when Collier County deputies contacted detectives with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Unit about a stolen SUV out of the Turtle Creek community in Naples.

A “be on the lookout” (BOLO) was issued for a 2003 silver Land Rover Discovery with Ohio license plates.

A little more than two hours later, a Lee County deputy observed a silver Land Rover traveling south on Hart Road in North Fort Myers. The deputy noticed the Land Rover had Ohio plates.

When the driver of the Land Rover noticed he was being followed by a deputy, he made a sharp left turn into Royal Coach Village located at 15500 Hart Road.  Knowing there are no other exits to the community, the deputy waited at the entrance of Royal Coach Village.

Minutes later, the Land Rover exited Royal Coach Village back onto Hart Road at a high rate of speed.  The deputy attempted to pull over the vehicle, but the driver made no attempt to slow down or stop and continued driving at a high rate of speed. For safety concerns, the deputy did not pursue the driver, but radioed dispatch with the information.

A short time later, deputies located the unoccupied stolen vehicle near the 1200 block of Gramac Drive.

Just after locating the vehicle, a deputy observed two males running away along a canal bank. A K-9 deputy found the teen in the dense woods.

Detectives are looking into whether the teenager is involved in other vehicle thefts.