Newberry Man Arrested After Fleeing Officers, Loaded Handguns in Car

ALACHUA ‒ Kobe Deon Delima, 20, of Newberry, was arrested on Oct. 18 and charged with aggravated fleeing and hit and run with property damage after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop and crashing into a fence on private property, then fleeing on foot. Two handguns were reportedly found in the car.

An Alachua Police Department (APD) officer reported that he attempted a traffic stop on a Kia Soul at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday near the intersection of Northwest 151^st Boulevard and Northwest 147^th Drive after the car ran a stop sign. The officer noted that the car immediately accelerated so quickly that it became airborne when it hit the railroad tracks near Peggy Road. The car was found a few minutes later in a private yard, with both airbags deployed and both front doors open. The officer wrote that the driver lost control on Northwest 142^nd Terrace, ran through the ditch on the east side of the road and crashed into a fence.

The officer reported that a search of the vehicle produced two loaded handguns, one on top of the center console and the other on the passenger side floorboard. Delima’s wallet was also reportedly in the center console and contained his driver’s license and bank cards showing his name.

Investigators identified Delima as the suspect and interviewed him at APD. During the interview, Delima was reportedly unable to provide a coherent explanation of the events of the previous night and provided inconsistent answers. Delima also reportedly had injuries consistent with airbag deployment.

Delima has been charged with aggravated fleeing with damage and hit and run with property damage. He has no criminal history, but he was arrested in 2020 for stealing a weed eater and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. The agreement was revoked for failure to comply with conditions and the case was scheduled for a change of plea, but the charge was dropped and the hearing was canceled.

Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail in the current case at $30,000. The judge also ordered that Delima may not drive or possess firearms while on pre-trial release.

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