Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly Friday evening arrested a 22-year-old Palm Coast man who allegedly sped past his unmarked car on I-95 at 125 miles per hour and swerving in and out of lanes. Last year Florida enacted a “super-speeder law” that makes excessive speeds a first-degree misdemeanor and subjects the speeder to arrest.
Staly was on his way to a dinner engagement with his wife. In his written statement, incorporated into the 22-year-old’s arrest report, the sheriff said he was driving south on I-95 just south of the State Road 100 interchange when a 2016 white Dodge Challenger with black racing stripes passed his own Ford Expedition at a speed “estimated to be over 100 mph.”
The sheriff said he “accelerated and paced the car at times exceeding 125MPH while weaving [dangerously] between all three
lanes of traffic to be able to maintain speeds between 115MPH and 125MPH, endangering all drivers from the excessive speed, improper lane changes and passing within 3-4 feet of slower car’s rear bumpers commonly known as tailgating or trying to push other drivers out of the way while in moderate to heavy traffic.”
The 22-year-old’s “His willful and wanton reckless driving also endangered the driver and his three passengers,” the sheriff wrote.
The sheriff activated his siren and lights and pulled over the man south of the Old Dixie Highway interchange, just across the Flagler-Volusia County line. The driver was aware of the new super-speeder law and “appeared remorseful.” He told the sheriff that he was scheduled to take his final pilot’s exam the next day, and hoped he would be out of jail in time for it. His bond was set at just $500.
“It should be noted,” the sheriff wrote, “that after the driver was stopped, all other passing cars that passed the traffic stop and had been passed by the defendant’s reckless driving honked their horn in apparent appreciation that he was stopped from his dangerous driving behavior.” Either that, or they were saying hello to the now-generally recognizable sheriff.
Flagler County sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene, the man was cited for two violations (super-speeding and willful and wanton reckless driving), the Challenger was towed from the scene, and the deputy drove the speeder to the Volusia Branch jail, as the man continued to be remorseful throughout.
“Driving 125 miles per hour and weaving through three lanes of traffic isn’t a mistake, it’s a decision to gamble with everyone else’s life, including the three passengers sitting in his own car,” Staly was quoted as saying. “This wannabe pilot was flying fast and low, but he wasn’t in an airplane and this wasn’t his final exam.”
jim says
if Staly was going NORTH on 95 approaching 100 explain how he pulled him over PAST Old Dixie Hwy… something’s not right here!!
FlaglerLive says
That was our error. Sorry. It’s been fixed.
Corn and taters says
What kind of LEO wears his badge & gun to dinner with his wife? 🤡
JimboXYZ says
“Driving 125 miles per hour and weaving through three lanes of traffic isn’t a mistake, it’s a decision to gamble with everyone else’s life, including the three passengers sitting in his own car,”
Valid points ? Then again, someone made a conscious decision to super speed with their wife in the passenger seat just the same ? Dinner ? Were there alcoholic beverages consumed for potential impairment ? The investigation, would that be the standard procedure, any investigatons for discovery to take that direction ?
TR says
You do realize that Sheriff Staly could have put his vest, gun and badge on when he got out of the patrol car and before the picture was taken, right?
Shark says
He’s a glory hound !!!
Waste not want not says
Never met a camera or microphone he didn’t like.
Jerry Moore says
Damn good one!
The Geode says
A fake “Grady Judd”
Snoop says
One that took a bullet in the line of duty before.
Snoop says
One that that took a bullet.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
Why protect his identity? The driver is a 22-year-old named []. If Sheriff Staly hadn’t been in the right place at the right time, that guy could have caused a catastrophe on I-95 affecting many, many people. Alleged super speeders should not be let out on a measly $5000 bond. That’s ridiculous.
FlaglerLive says
We do not name individuals charged with misdemeanors in most instances. This is one of those instances. You’ve obviously satisfied your need elsewhere to know who it was. It’s not difficult. But if you intend to get around our policy here, as you tried above, you’ll be banned.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
I did not “intend to get around [your] policy.” You give me far too much credit. There’s no way I could have even known what your “name policy” is. FlaglerLive’s published policy regarding comments posted to the site does not specify that you “do not name individuals charged with misdemeanors in most instances.” With that in mind, “in most instances” means that sometimes you DO publish the names. By what measure do you decide when a name should be published and when it should not? It is understandable that you might not want to publish the name of a minor, but in this particular case, the driver, an adult, allegedly drove at speeds estimated to be over 100mph, with accelerated speeds estimated at 115mph to 125mph. What could possibly go wrong? When I first saw coverage of this arrest (not in FlaglerLive), I immediately thought of the horrific I-95 accident some years ago in which multiple young people from one family all died not far from where Sheriff Staly made the arrest on Friday evening. Maybe I view reckless endangerment of innocent people’s lives through a different lens than others do, but I could not, and still cannot, think of a reason why the arrested adult’s name should be protected. Nor can I think of a reason why I should be threatened with being banned from FlaglerLive. I guess your policy is free speech “in most instances.” So pull the First Amendment plug on me if that is your wish. No one will ever know or care.
TR says
It would have been better if it was $5,000.00 bond. But the article says it was $500.00, read much?
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
Suck up much?
An initial online report that I saw elsewhere said $5,000. Obviously that was incorrect. A $500 bond is even more outrageous, considering the driver put his passengers’ lives at stake, not to mention the lives of innocent motorists on I-95.
TR says
What suck up? for correcting something you typed wrong.LOL I have read every article on line pertaining to this topic and not one said $5,000.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
You do know that online articles get corrected, right?
TR says
Only if someone tells them they made a misprint. But on here there is no edit feature so someone can not go back and edit their comment. Two different situations, right?
DaleL says
Based on the Flagler Live story and numerous other news sources, it was a measly $500 bond. $5000 would have been more appropriate.
I think the super speeder law is too weak. Even a first violation should be a felony. There is absolutely no excuse for driving more than 50 mph over the posted limit.
Gina Weiss says
WOW, JUST WOW!
I said it many times, IT’S A PRIVILEDGE TO FLY! Imagine driving with your
spouse to have a peaceful dinner and in the next instant you find yourself
chasing down a careless self entitled young man driving at 125mph with 3 other
people in his vehicle, as their lives were also in his hands as well as the other
people on that road. Sheriff Staly was also taking a risk but made the decision
that this dude must be stopped to possibly save the lives of others who were being cut
off, pushed and tailgated. Poor decisions made by a wannabe student pilot speaks volume.
Good pilots are also a good stewards.
Super Speeders get Deported says
Comment disallowed for racism and assumptions.
Shark says
Taking his wife out to dinner looking like a bum and putting his wife’s life in danger for a traffic violation. If he had an accidet who does he think would be paying her medical bills. The next time just take your wife out to dinner in your personal car and let the HPB take care of I95.
Donna Card says
We should be so thankful we have Sheriff Staley looking out for us. This person should not currently be given pilots license or any other. He risked multiple lives on his little fun ride. really 500 BAIL? Not enough.
R.S. says
High-speed chases are every bit as dangerous as reckless driving. I wish we’d get speed cameras on highways and send images of drivers and license plates to owners to raise the money for highway maintenance and other such issues. They do it that way in sundry other countries, and traffic is much improved thereby.
Winston Smith says
Be careful what you wish for. The others that came before you weren’t and now we have household ring cameras connected to the fusion centers and Flock cameras monetizing your every move. The slippery slope is now greased with no end in sight. Do your founding fathers a favor and please refrain from voting.
Waste not want not says
I realize this wasn’t a planned speeding stop BUT maybe FCSO should start enforcing speed on St Rt 11 and St Rt 100. Racetracks
Leave 95 to FHP to handle.
Also Staley is the highest paid official in Flagler County with his pay derived from Flagler County taxpayers
Couldn’t he go out to diner in Flagler County to support those who pay his high salary instead of traveling over county lines ?
TR says
How do you know he was going to go over the county line into another county for diner? He wasn’t over the county line when the speeder pulled over. The county line is at the next exit about 5 or 6 miles past the RT100 exit onto Old Dixie Highway. There is a great pizza parlor at that exit in front of the Plantation Bay entrance. Maybe that’s where he was going, you don’t know. Besides, if the pursuit continued into Volusia County, Staly would have radioed ahead and Volusia county deputies would have assisted in the stopping of this jac as.
Shoregal says
I am not a Staley fan but good grief because he is the Sheriff of Flagler County saying that the man has to stay in county to eat dinner. Give me a break.
Boss Hawg says
Seems to me that he coulda just called 911, they would’ve seen it was their sheriff calling, getting everyone’s attention, and they would’ve had every county mounty and smokey in the area on 95 in no time looking for a rare white Challenger with racing stripes. No, this whole thing is just a lucky show in an election year. I suspect if it was just an off duty deputy out to dinner with his wife giving chase, this story would be a whole lot different.
Bob Z. says
What makes 100 mph so special? The Super Speeder Law says 50 over the posted speed limit or 100+ sends you to jail, car is towed, etc.; however, if someone is caught going 49 over in a 50 they would not be subject to those penalties. But if someone gets caught to doing 100 in a 70 (only 30 over) which is much safer than the other example, they get the max – how is that fair? I also think age/driving experience, what else the drive is doing (no signals, etc,) and whether it is a city street or the highway, should be factors.