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<br />top - mph-
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<br />A2 Press Journal Wednesday, December 30, 1"a
<br />■ CONTINUED FROM Al
<br />Because of this, he is not su
<br />rect to a 1995 agreement by 1
<br />w-enforcement agencies • to p
<br />ticipate in high-speed chases o
<br />if a violent offender is invoi
<br />Indian River County sheriff!
<br />spokesman Pete Kersey said.
<br />The DEP's Division of La
<br />Enforcement also prohibits sta
<br />officers from pursum¢ non-violen
<br />suspects. But Beasley s supervisor,
<br />Capt. Barry Davis, said he d
<br />not consider the matter a 'pur-
<br />suit," since..'the chase lasted''
<br />four minutes and'! did not' go
<br />through areas with pedestrians.
<br />This was determined not to be
<br />a pursuit," Davis said. "You can't
<br />stop a speeder unless you go to the
<br />speed he's at."
<br />At the end of the chase,
<br />Knowles drove the truck into a
<br />pond near Schumann Drive, just
<br />before the Florida East Coast
<br />Railway tracks west of U.S. 1. He
<br />remained at Sebastian River Med-
<br />ical Center's medical surgery unit
<br />Tuesday evening, under guard of
<br />county corrections deputies and
<br />under observation by physicians
<br />for inhaling water into his lungs.
<br />According to his arrest affida-
<br />vit, Florida Highway Patrol trop
<br />ers found the truck Knowles w
<br />b' drrvmg had been rted stole
<br />loci from Fort Lauderdale. Bead
<br />Pat charged him with reckless driving
<br />fleeing and attempting to elude la
<br />d theft
<br />8 auto and driving enforcement w bouttaa license
<br />Knowles was also wanted for
<br />Lam misdemeanor battery charge out o
<br />tet Martin County, Davis said.
<br />Beas
<br />was
<br />does
<br />his shift leat Sebastian Inlets Stat
<br />Recreation Area when he sa
<br />Knowles pull out -of the Citg
<br />-'service station hi 1�+abasso ontq
<br />95th Place, then rim''thiough the
<br />stop Signat U.S. 1, heading north,
<br />the affidavit said.
<br />Beasley followed Knowles
<br />north, and turned on the blue
<br />lights of his patrol car after the
<br />two turned right on 87th Street,
<br />the affidavit said. Knowles aoceler.
<br />ated to "an undo speed," and
<br />turned south on 47th Avenue, fish-
<br />tailra the tuck on the dirt road,
<br />the a idavit said.
<br />As Knowles headed south, the
<br />sign at186th Street do back to
<br />85th Place, where he headed to
<br />ward U.S. I again, the affidavit
<br />JANUARY 5. 1999
<br />p- said. He again ran the stop sign a
<br />as U.S. 1 and 85th Place at about -I
<br />n mph and headed north, it said.
<br />�' Beasley Hien turned on . his si-
<br />. rel. As he pursued Knowles, the
<br />w' two reached a speed of 107 mph
<br />for 2.8 miles, the affidavit said.
<br />Knowles lost control at Schu-
<br />a M"n Drive, where the truck aQ-
<br />f parently spun around and slid
<br />backwards for 100 feet north into
<br />m the southbound lane, the affidavit
<br />State said.
<br />�►' Knowles -drove the truck for -
<br />o ward d: turned west on Schu-
<br />ma>irive,'.it lraid�,�He sped
<br />but went straight where the r apd
<br />curved ' before the railroad tracks
<br />and drove the truck into a Dud,
<br />the affld�vit said.
<br />State dispatchers reportedly
<br />called the Sebastian Police Depart.
<br />ment, which notified the Sheriffs
<br />Office, Kersey said. State troopers
<br />investigated the crash, and no Se-
<br />bastian police officers needed to
<br />respond, Chief Randy White said.
<br />"Normally, we don't enter into
<br />a chase for a traffic violation,"
<br />White said when asked about the
<br />incident.
<br />Kersey said DEP officers do
<br />not use the same police radios that
<br />t local law enforcement officers u,
<br />5 so Beasley would not have be:
<br />able to call for help immediate!
<br />County dispatchers were told .
<br />the incident at. 12:24 a.m., about
<br />minute after the chase ended.
<br />"Their dispatchers would ha,
<br />to call us," Kersey said.
<br />About 14 officers with the su
<br />park patrol work in District 1-:
<br />which extends from Indian Ri,,.
<br />to Volusia County. said E,
<br />Miller, assistant director of t:'
<br />DEP's Law Enforcement Divisio!
<br />Miller said his division's quid.
<br />lines for hi h; cha3es a.
<br />"strict." His ditfision employs -
<br />state -certified law, enforcement r
<br />ftcers, including Beasley, he said.
<br />Last week; • sheriffs deput:.
<br />enp ed in a "trailing pursuit or
<br />Roseland man who had been c:
<br />cused of breaking into a Sou'
<br />County man's house. Neither t:
<br />man nor the deputies went las:
<br />than 10 mph over the speed lim
<br />and patrol cars broke off the cha
<br />when the sheriffs helicopr
<br />spotted the mart in Sebastian. K:
<br />sey has said.
<br />The man died after he crash.
<br />his Chevrolet Blazer into a tree
<br />side the property of Sun Ag Inc
<br />Felismere.
<br />-31- BOOK io.8 wu-i 38
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