LAKELAND, Fla. — A deputy sheriff has resigned after being arrested for driving more than 100 mph near Lakeland, the Polk County Sheriff's Office explains in a news release.
According to a statement from the sheriff's office, deputies clocked 22-year-old Jakob Kite driving on U.S. Highway 98 South at 105 mph in a 60-mph speed zone. Other deputies reportedly clocked Kite's car, a Subaru Impreza, going even faster as they tried to catch up to it, ultimately reaching 130 mph in a 45-mph zone.
Deputies say they tried to get Kite to pull over using their emergency lights and siren, but he wouldn't stop and ran through a stop sign as he veered onto the Highway 540A westbound lane, damaging the Impreza's front tires as he hit a concrete median.
Deputies then pursued Kite on the Highway 540A. They say he aggressively swerved toward one of the patrol cars. After several attempts to chase him down, one of the deputies successfully pushed Kite's car into a 180-degree turn, disabling the car and causing him to stop.
According to the statement, Kite initially refused to get out of his car, and he appeared to be impaired and intoxicated.
Deputies arrested Kite and charged him with aggravated assault on an officer, resisting arrest, fleeing law enforcement, leaving a crash with property damage, reckless driving and DUI. He was also given four citations for speeding and two for running a stop sign.
"It is hard to describe how disappointed and angry I am towards Kite’s dangerously stupid behavior," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "Had he not resigned, he would have been fired. We will absolutely hold him accountable for his criminal conduct."