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 north 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.”
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