Chase Of Stolen Vehicle Leads To four Arrests

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(From left to right: Overstreet, Burson, Johnson and Simms)

Palm Coast, FL - A call about a reckless driver on I-95 in Flagler County leads to the arrest of four young men on Friday. The four arrested are 18-year-old Jemari Overstreet, 20-year-old Steven Johnson, 18-year-old Heron Burson, and 16-year-old James Simms.

Flagler County Sheriff's deputies responded to the call about a car driving at high speeds southbound on I-95. A few minutes later, just before 5:30 p.m., a license plate reader (LPR) alerted to a vehicle on Palm Coast Parkway. The 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe had been reported stolen to the Holly Hill Police Department.

The vehicle was spotted by a Problem Area Crime Enforcement (PACE) unit. Patrol deputies used Stop Sticks in an effort to stop the vehicle before activating emergency lights. The driver of the stolen vehicle drove recklessly at a high rate of speed with complete disregard for the safety of
other drivers, also ignoring all law enforcement efforts to stop the vehicle.

The vehicle apprehension was terminated for the safety of the community but a perimeter was set-up in the area. Flagler County FireFlight was called in to assist.

A resident on Banner Lane called 9-1-1 a short time later and reported that three males ran through her yard and jumped over the privacy fence.

Deputies found the stolen vehicle in a driveway on Banner Lane, empty and with the engine still running. With FireFlight offering aerial support and FCSO K-9 Units tracking the foursome, they were located around 6:30 p.m. in the wood line near Bannbury Lane. The entire incident, from the LPR alert to the capture was only a little more than an hour.

“I was out with our deputies during this incident and it was clearly evident that the driver of the stolen vehicle had complete disregard for the safety of other motorists on the roadway,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “They could have caused a very serious crash by their actions. I am proud of our deputies for
safely apprehending these suspects and taking them in to custody without anyone getting hurt. This is another great example of our teamwork, technology and strategies working to quickly apprehend criminals with support from the community.”

Overstreet, who was driving the vehicle is facing four felony and three misdemeanor charges with bond totaling $20,100. Johnson has two felony and two misdemeanor charges with bond set at $11,100. Burson has three felony charges and three misdemeanors. FCSO shows no bond set for Burson. Simms is charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors but because of his age, there is no other information available.

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