Waldo Man Arrested After High-Speed Chase

WALDO ‒ On Sunday, June 9, 2024, a 21-year-old man from Waldo was arrested and charged with fleeing, resisting an officer without violence, and drug possession following a high-speed chase on Waldo Road. The suspect, identified as Mitchell Craig Griffin, Jr., allegedly drove at speeds of 130 mph and cut through residential yards while attempting to evade a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper.

The trooper reportedly saw a Toyota traveling southbound on State Road 24 just after 8 p.m. and estimated it was traveling at about 90 mph in a 65-mph zone.

The incident began just after 8 p.m. when an FHP trooper spotted a Toyota traveling southbound on State Road 24 at approximately 90 mph in a 65-mph zone. As the trooper moved behind the Toyota and activated lights and sirens, the driver made a U-turn and began heading northbound toward Waldo, accelerating to over 130 mph.

The Toyota reportedly entered the city limits of Waldo and drove into a residential neighborhood to the northeast of County Road 1475 and Northeast 148^th Avenue. The trooper reported that the Toyota ran stop signs and almost crashed into several vehicles and then cut through multiple residential yards. The trooper tried to conduct a PIT maneuver twice, but both attempts were unsuccessful.

The Toyota reportedly stopped at the intersection of Northeast 150^th Avenue and Northeast 139^th Terrace. The driver got out of the vehicle and lay down on the ground, where he was taken into custody. The driver was Mitchell Craig Griffin, Jr. A search of Griffin reportedly produced a small bag of marijuana. A search of the vehicle reportedly produced an open bottle of liquor and two digital scales.

Griffin has four non-violent felony convictions and is currently on probation in Marion County for grand theft of a motor vehicle. He was arrested in Gainesville in 2021 and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and illegally carrying a concealed firearm. The charges were later dropped.

Bail was set at $75,000 by Judge Kristine Van Vorst, who also set a curfew of between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

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