The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has announced that a man being sought in connection to a narcotics investigation at Florida State University was taken into custody on June 15. The 22-year-old Tallahassee resident was one of four suspects who attempted to elude police by jumping from a second-floor apartment window on June 8. Two of the suspects were taken into custody following a brief foot pursuit. The man was apprehended when deputies from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol troopers helped the FDLE to execute a traffic stop.
The man reportedly chose to flee when narcotics investigators executed a search warrant at a Hayden Road apartment. The investigation that drove the search was launched after police received complaint calls about drug activity in the area. The search allegedly led to the seizure of an undisclosed quantity of marijuana, marijuana edibles, two guns that records reveal were reported stolen and an undisclosed amount of ammunition. Investigators also found digital scales and say that the drugs discovered were packaged for sale.
The search for the man prompted FSU officials to issue a security alert. He has been charged with operating a drug residence, weapons possession and drug possession with the intent to distribute. He faces a sentence enhancement because the marijuana was allegedly found less than 1,000 feet from a school or college. The man is being held at the Lake County Jail.
There are several reasons why a criminal defense lawyer may advise someone accused of committing drug violations to resist the urge to flee from police. Attempts to escape law enforcement almost always end in failure and usually result in additional counts and penalties. Fleeing could also be difficult to explain to a jury and would likely make negotiating a favorable plea agreement more difficult.