An Ohio teenager was apprehended after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase Friday afternoon on Interstate 75 through Sumter and Marion counties.
Cody James Russell, 18, of Miamisburg, Ohio, was at the wheel of a stolen black Dodge Durango with Ohio plates at 4:25 p.m. Friday northbound near Mile Marker 322 in Sumter County when his fast-moving vehicle began kicking up debris from the side of the roadway causing a hazard for other motorists, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
A patrol car from FHP pursued the vehicle into Marion County at a speed of 115 miles per hour where the Dodge Durango left I-75 at Exit 341 and began to travel in the wrong direction on County Road 484. Russell turned onto County Road 475A where he lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree.
Russell began running after exiting the vehicle and lost his shoes.
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office K-9 joined in the hunt for Russell. After he was captured, he was taken back to the crash scene where he was positively identified by the FHP trooper who had initiated the chase.
Law enforcement confirmed that the Dodge Durango had been stolen in Montgomery County, Ohio. It had a license plate that had been assigned to a 1997 Toyota Avalon.
Russell was arrested on multiple charges including grand theft auto. He was already on probation. He was booked without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.
