Deputies: Florida man busts through hay bales, catches airtime in high-speed chase

A Florida man took deputies on a high-speed chase that included busting through hay bales and going airborne due to the speed -- all while a child holds on for dear life in the back seat, a sheriff's report stated.

James Jenkins, 33, was going 80 mph in a 55-mph zone around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in Niceville when Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputies began to pursue his vehicle, the Crestview Bulletin reports. The chase went off-road, and Jenkins ran through some hay bales, followed a power line trail, and went airborne multiple times due to the high speeds, deputies said.

Once his car was disabled, deputies said, he exited and began to run toward the woods with a large beer can in his hands, which he dropped upon making it to the wooded area line. He ran headfirst into a tree and got a minor cut on his right eye, which is when deputies said they were able to wrestle him down and arrest him.

The passenger in the car said they tried to stop Jenkins, but once he refused they were “along for the ride,” the Crestview Bulletin stated.

Deputies said a child was strapped into a car seat in the back and told deputies he “had been holding onto his car seat with all his might during the incident.” Neither were injured during the chase, the Crestview Bulletin added.

Jenkins was charged with fleeing and eluding with disregard for the safety of others, driving with license suspended as habitual offender, child neglect, resisting arrest without violence, and a felony probation violation. He also was issued a traffic citation for having an open can of beer in his car.

Read more at the Crestview Bulletin.

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