An escaped prisoner from Lake City was captured in Winter Haven Sunday morning after crashing a stolen vehicle he was driving.
- Escaped Lake City prisoner caught in Winter Haven
- Devonte Bodison caught after crashing stolen car
- Bodison booked into Polk County jail
Around 10 a.m. Winter Haven Police were made aware of a stolen 2016 white Chrysler 300 that was traveling through Lake Wales with suspected escaped prisoner, Devonte Bodison, 20, from Lake City.
Police along with help from the Polk County Sheriff's Office spotted the vehicle of First Street S traveling past Longhorn restaurant. Authorities said police followed the vehicle through the downtown area but kept a safe distance as the vehicle traveled through the area of the annual arts festival Carols in the Park in the Central Park area.
Once the vehicle was past the downtown area, officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled again. The vehicle ended up striking a concrete lawn ornament, causing the front wheel to come off and the car to flip over, skidding down the road nearly 20 feet before coming to a rest in a yard.
Authorities said Bodison exited the vehicle through the sunroof and ran into the yard of a home at the corner of Ave O NE and Fairfax Ave. where he was caught and taken into custody.
Bodison will be booked into the Polk County Sheriff's Office on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, two counts of fleeing to elude, one count of resisting arrest without violence, one count of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and Columbia County DOC escaped prisoner charges.