Palm Coast, FL - Following a high-speed chase through Flagler County, a fugitive was taken down and arrested on Monday by Flagler County Sheriff's Deputies with help from K-9 Valor.
A Flagler County Sheriff's Deputy tried to make a traffic stop at 5:30 PM on Monday at the corner of Seminole Woods and SR-100 on a driver he recognized as a fugitive, wanted for multiple felony violation of probation warrants. That driver, Richard Knoblaugh, refused to pull over and led deputies on a chase that lasted over 30 minutes.
When Knoblaugh refused to stop, deputies stayed at a safe distance and followed him onto I-95, where the fugitive proceeded to drive at 73 mph. Deputies deployed stop sticks at the Palm Coast Parkway exit, successfully flattening two of Knoblaugh's tires. Knoblaugh continued driving, but at much slower speeds, until he hit more stop sticks at Palm Harbor Pkwy, flattening the rest of his vehicle's tires.
Knoblaugh continued to try and escape law enforcement, but deputies kept at a safe distance while Flagler County's FireFlight helicopter kept an eye on him from above and provided patrol units with updates.
Knoblaugh eventually made his way to a home on Coolidge Court where he had been living and where deputies were waiting for him. Knoblaugh's vehicle finally came to a stop in the middle of the front lawn, and he ran into the home with K-9 Valor in pursuit. Knoblaugh resisted but was bitten and apprehended by K-9 Valor.
“This guy was a wanted fugitive with active felony warrants,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I’m proud of our deputies for bringing this chase to a successful arrest without any of our deputies or citizens getting hurt. I was monitoring the pursuit and our supervisors and deputies conducted a textbook pursuit taking precautions to make sure citizens were not hurt by this dirtbag’s driving or actions.”
After he was arrested, Knoblaugh was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler and then Halifax Hospital for the wounds he sustained when K-9 Valor took him down. FCSO says Knoblaugh has an extensive criminal history dating back to November of 2008 involving 10 arrests.
Tanya Follmar, who also lived at the same Coolidge Court address, was also arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine. Follmar's being held on $2,500 bond.
“This house has been a problem house for some time with the owners enabling these offenders under the disguise of trying to help them,” said Sheriff Staly. “We have received numerous complaints from the neighborhood on the activities of this house.”
Knoblaugh has been charged with knowingly driving while license is suspended or revoked, aggravated fleeing and eluding, resisting arrest without violence, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, and he'll also have to answer for his three violation of probation felony warrants. He'll be booked into the Flagler County Detention Facility once he's treated for his injuries.
(LEFT: Vehicle driven by Knoblaugh. RIGHT: Sheriff Staly on scene with FCSO deputies)
Photos courtesy FCSO.
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