MARION COUNTY, Fla. — An Ocala man is facing a long list of charges after deputies say he ran from three different attempted traffic stops in one afternoon.
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According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first made contact with 52-year-old Neil Elder Friday afternoon after he was seen running a stop sign on his motorcycle at the intersection of Southeast 131st Place and Southeast 107th Court in Ocklawaha.
According to an incident report, Elder crouched down closer to the motorcycle and accelerated away rapidly when one deputy attempted to stop him. The deputy noted Elder also had a female passenger on the rear of the motorcycle.
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According to the sheriff’s office, Elder continued to flee westbound while ignoring the stop signs at multiple intersections until the deputy canceled the pursuit out of concern for the rear passenger’s safety.
Later, a second deputy made contact with a construction worker at the intersection of County Road 25 and 108th Terrace who said they saw Elder’s motorcycle in the area. That deputy spotted Elder riding on Southeast Maricamp Road near Silver Springs Shores and attempted to conduct a second traffic stop.
According to the sheriff’s office, Elder refused to stop and ran through multiple red lights as he fled again. That’s when deputies say a law enforcement helicopter responded to the area and monitored Elder’s movements from the air while relaying updates on his location to deputies on the ground.
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Eventually, a third deputy intercepted Elder in traffic on Baseline Rd. near Highway 40 and pulled in front of the motorcycle with lights activated in an attempt to get Elder to stop.
Deputies say Elder backed the motorcycle up and went around the deputy before fleeing again Westbound on Highway 40. According to the sheriff’s office, Elder passed by the deputy closely enough for them to hear his passenger yelling at him to stop.
According to his arrest report, the sheriff’s office helicopter followed Elder until he stopped behind a store on E. Silver Springs Blvd. and attempted to run around the building on foot before he was finally taken into custody.
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A search of Elder’s motorcycle yielded what deputies described as a “trafficking amount” of fentanyl. Deputies also learned later that Elder’s motorcycle wasn’t registered and his license was suspended.
Elder was arrested and charged with three counts of fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer, false imprisonment, trafficking in fentanyl, driving with a suspended license as a habitual traffic offender, reckless driving, and failure to register a motor vehicle. He’s being held in the Marion County jail on no bond.
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