by Sheriff Grady Judd, Polk County, FL
There probably aren’t too many people who enjoy driving on I-4. A lot of aggressive drivers and people going waaaay too fast. Seriously, we used four A’s in the word “way” to illustrate just how fast people drive on the interstate.
FHP and PCSO units routinely patrol the interstate, but the lead-footed aggressive drivers behave when the popo is around. So, we’ve decided to mix-it up a bit. We’ve been sending out our unmarked traffic vehicles for patrols, and the results have been wonderful. Unless you’re someone like Austin.
Austin was busted on I-4 recently. He was driving east in his 2009 black Lincoln MKS, making frequent lane changes and doing about 106 mph. When the red & blues turned on behind Austin, his heart probably started beating a lot faster.
Maybe it was already beating fast; he told the deputy he was in a hurry to get to his girlfriend’s house in Clermont. Or maybe the cocaine in his pocket had something to do with it. The concealed firearm he was caught with probably didn’t help either.
Austin was arrested and taken to Grady’s Book-In Bed & Breakfast…completely in the opposite direction of his girlfriend’s house. He was charged with Reckless Driving, Cocaine Possession, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of a Concealed Weapon. Austin also received citations for speeding, following too closely, and failing to drive in a single lane.