Clay Today staff
ORANGE PARK – A man previously convicted of being a habitual traffic offender was arrested Saturday, Nov. 29, when a sheriff’s deputy recognized the man driving his car and chased the vehicle.
The arrest of Maurice Futch, 27, came after Futch crashed the car along County Road 218 and fled on foot before being caught by deputies, according to a Clay County Sheriff’s Office report.
Lt. David Barnes was driving northbound on CR 215 when he saw a car traveling over 100 mph and began pursuing it. Although Barnes lost sight of the vehicle, other vehicles began searching the surrounding area and found the car traveling at a high rate of speed on Peppergrass Road. The driver refused to stop, so officers deployed stop sticks at Peppergrass and Blanding Boulevard but they did not disable the vehicle, the report says.
The vehicle proceeded south on Blanding and then west on Alligator Boulevard, the report says. During the chase, Futch was not able to stop at the stop sign at Alligator and Hibiscus and the vehicle left the roadway and skidded to a stop.
Now in the Clay County Jail, Futch was charged with fleeing and eluding, habitual driving while license suspended or revoked and resisting arrest, the report says.
Checkpoint results in 8 arrests
ORANGE PARK – Eight people were arrested during a traffic safety checkpoint done by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit Friday, Nov. 28, into early Saturday, Nov. 29.
One person was charged with possession of a concealed weapon, while four others were charged with possession of marijuana or drug paraphernalia, the Sheriff’s Office said. Three others also were charged with having no driver’s license.
In all, deputies stopped 487 vehicles and issued two moving violations, 38 non-moving violations and issued 11 criminal citations. They also issued 25 warnings and found 13 instances of faulty equipment, the Sheriff’s Office said.
12 charged with illegal sales
ORANGE PARK – Workers at 12 Clay County businesses were cited for illegally selling alcohol to a minor during a compliance by the Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Crime Unit.
An underage volunteer went into a total of 21 businesses during the checks done Monday, Nov. 24, and Tuesday, Nov. 25, the Sheriff’s Office said. The volunteer would go into the business to see if the clerk would require identification and check the age.
Store workers who sold alcohol to the minor were issued notices to appear in court. Reciving the notices were: Montee Jackson, 44, Kangaroo Express, 804 SR 21, Orange Park; Ambalal Patel, 58, Bombay Liquor Store, Middleburg; Brenda Dimaggio, 39, Kangaroo Express, 2584 SR 21, Middleburg; Kathleen Sperry, 39, Catherine’s Food Store, Middleburg; Tammy Neuman, 32, Solid and Stripes Billiards, Orange Park; Kerri Pickering, 19, CVS, Keystone Heights; Kerri Whiteneck, 21, White Elephant, Keystone Heights; Tammy Conley, 37, Kangaroo Express, 1690 Wells Road, Orange Park; Kathleen Keene, 34, Cheers Bar, Orange Park; Christy Griner, 29, Orange Park Ale House, Orange Park; Mary Roberts, 58, Kangaroo Express, 4486 CR 218 Middleburg; and Dawn Reading, 38, Kangaroo Express, 2816 SR 21, Middleburg.
Fire destroys OP shed
ORANGE PARK -- A fire that destroyed a wooden shed Friday, Nov. 28, behind an Orange Park home briefly threatened nearby homes.
The fire was reported at noon behind a home on Grove Park Drive, Orange Park Fire Chief Ty Silcox said. Arriving firefighters with Orange Park and Clay County Fire Rescue found the storage shed fully engulfed in flames and threatening adjacent homes, he said.
The fire was brought under control in a matter of minutes, Silcox said, and no injuries were reported. Grove Park Drive was shut down for about an hour while fire activities were conducted.
The fire destroyed the shed. Damage was estimated at $3,000, he said.
The homeowners were not home at the time of the fire, which was called in from a cell phone. The fire remains under investigation.