Polk sheriff: Deputy arrested after driving more than 100 mph, then fleeing a traffic stop
A Polk County sheriff's deputy was arrested early Sunday morning after he was clocked driving more than 100 mph on U.S. 98 South, then fled from deputies, the Sheriff's Office said.
The Sheriff's Office said deputies were conducting speed checks on U.S. 98 South between Lakeland and Bartow shortly after midnight on Sunday when they clocked a Subaru Impreza driven by Jakob Kite, 22, at more 105 mph in a 60 mph zone heading south toward Bartow. Another deputy later clocked the vehicle at 114 to 117 mph, and the deputies began trying to catch up to the car.
The Sheriff's Office said Kite turned onto Lyle Parkway in Bartow, then onto EF Griffin Road and headed north toward County Road 540A. While on EF Griffin Road, still attempting to catch up to the vehicle, one of the deputies clocked the vehicle at 130 mph in a 45 mph zone using moving radar.
As Kite and the deputies approached 540A, the deputies turned on their emergency lights and sirens to conduct a stop, but Kite refused to stop, the Sheriff's Office said, blowing through the stop sign at the end of EF Griffin.
Kite attempted to turn west onto 540A but hit a concrete median that separates the lanes of traffic, damaging his wheels, the Sheriff's Office said. The pursuit continued west on 540A and at one point, Kite swerved toward one of the deputies aggressively, according to the sheriff's report.
After several attempts, one of the deputies disabled Kite's vehicle by clipping the rear. Kite was arrested after initially refusing to leave his car, according to the report. Deputies reported that he appeared impaired. At the Sheriff’s Processing Center, breath samples were taken, and his blood alcohol level was 0.035 and 0.034, below the legal limit of 0.80, the Sheriff's Office said. A drug recognition expert evaluated Kite and a urine sample was taken. The PCSO did not yet release the result of that test in the news release.
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Kite was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting without violence, resisting with violence, fleeing to elude, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, reckless driving and DUI. Kite was also issued citations for multiple driving infractions, including four speeding tickets and running a stop sign.
The Sheriff's Office said Kite was hired as a Polk County detention deputy trainee in February 2020 and became a deputy sheriff assigned to the southwest district in April this year. He resigned after he was arrested.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk sheriff: Deputy arrested after driving more than 100 mph, fleeing
