A habitual traffic offender in a stolen car was apprehended after fleeing the scene of a crash near The Villages High School at Middleton.
An officer responded to Pettus Parkway, south of The Villages High School, regarding a hit-and-run traffic crash at 7:45 a.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. Sumter County sheriff’s deputies found 33-year-old Joshua Allen Brunner-Horrighs of Sanford fleeing from the scene on foot just east of the crash.
Upon arrival, the officer observed a black Ford F-150 pickup truck and a tan Toyota Camry. The Ford’s rear passenger tire was completely off the vehicle. The driver stated the Camry had sideswiped him, the report said.
A male witness said he watched Brunner-Horrighs get out on the driver’s side of the vehicle and run away from the scene. The witness also agreed to help identify the suspect and confirmed Brunner-Horrighs to be the same person he saw get out of the Camry, the report said.
A check of the license plate revealed the Camry had just been entered as stolen in Seminole County by the Altamonte Springs Police Department. Dispatch advised that the ASPD stated their suspect was Brunner-Horrighs.
Brunner-Horrighs claimed a female had been driving, and he got out after the crash from the driver’s side door. He did not know who the female was. When asked how he got the Camry, he just said he was with a male and a female but was not driving, the report said.
A check of Brunner-Horrighs’ license showed he has been classified as a habitual traffic offender. Security footage of the incident showed he was the only person to leave the vehicle, and he did so through the driver’s door. He was subsequently handcuffed and searched, the report said.
Law enforcement found a small clear baggie of marijuana and two vape cartridges that tested positive for THC.
Brunner-Horrighs was ultimately placed in the back of the officer’s patrol vehicle and taken to Brownwood ER for medical clearance. While there, he refused medical treatment and said he preferred to go to jail. He then grabbed a drawer full of medical supplies and threw them across the room, the report said.
The medical supplies were later rendered useless by the staff, and an O2 sensor cable had been damaged. The total loss to the ER was $190, the report said.
Brunner-Horrighs was charged with hit-and-run (leave scene of crash involving damage to property), driving while license suspended (habitual offender), possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams), drug equipment (possess or use), grand theft of motor vehicle and criminal mischief ($200 and under). He was transported to Sumter County Jail with bond set at $8,500.