By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2007
HOMOSASSA - A man who was being arrested on charges of dealing in stolen property managed to commandeer a deputy's car and led deputies on a chase Tuesday.
William Cecil Baxter, 37, 5505 W Cagney Loop, was sitting handcuffed in the back of a sheriff's cruiser on S Casey Point about 6:30 p.m. after being arrested on charges of stealing a trailer and lawn equipment from Levy County, according to a report.
Then, as Deputy Ronald Czechowski, standing about 30 yards away from the car, later wrote in his report:
"I looked up from the form that I was filling out and noticed that my patrol vehicle was driving away from the scene."
Somehow, Baxter, described in the report as standing 6 feet tall and weighing 210 pounds, wriggled his handcuffed hands to the front of his body and drove off. He also unlocked an assault rifle from its rack and placed it across the dashboard, the report stated. The weapon was not fired during the chase.
The deputy jumped in the passenger seat of another deputy's car and gave chase along Rock Crusher Road and then on W Homosassa Trail.
After about 3 miles, at Clematis Way, Baxter lost control, ran off the road and struck a tree, the report states. Deputy Czechowski used a baton to smash out a window and remove Baxter, still in handcuffs, the report states.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Gail Tierney said the incident is under review to determine what policies, if any, could be improved to prevent something like that from happening again.
Baxter was held on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, using a gun during the commission of a felony, escape, fleeing an officer and dealing in stolen property.