Bronson man arrested after stealing/crashing UTV and fleeing into woods

Levy County Sheriff's Office (LCSO)

Bronson (Levy County) Florida - On Wednesday afternoon, June 2, 30 year-old William Justin Ford of Bronson was arrested after a several hours-long search by three agencies after a deputy saw him operating a John Deere Gator utility vehicle (UTV) near Bronson. According to the LCSO, the operation of this type of vehicle is prohibited on any public road in Levy County.

Lt. James Anderson, Commander of the LCSO Patrol Division, observed the man, later identified as Mr. Ford, operating the UTV near Bronson on U.S. Alternate Highway 27. He watched as the driver pulled off the highway onto a dirt side road, and it appeared that the suspect was opening the gate to access private property. As Lt. Anderson watched in his rear view window, the suspect drove the UTV back onto the highway and accelerated. Lt. Anderson began to pursue the vehicle, to conduct a traffic stop, and the driver attempted to elude him by abruptly turning onto another dirt road, south of Blue Springs Road, but lost control of the UTV and crashed it, then exited the vehicle and fled, running in a westerly direction, into the woods.

Numerous LCSO units responded to the area to assist in the search for the suspect, along with a K-9 Unit fom the Florida Department of Corrections and a helicopter unit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, but the suspect was able to elude capture for several hours, assisted by a downpour of rain that began shortly after he fled from Lt. Anderson.

Shortly after 10:00 pm, a detective noticed a man, later identified as Mr. Ford, walking on State Road 24, west of Bronson, and called for assistance. Deputies confronted Mr. Ford, who was perspiring, breathing heavily, scratched and bleeding, without a reasonable explanation for his condition. Lt. Anderson was contacted and identified Ford as the person who'd fled from him, hours earlier.

Upon his arrest, Ford was found to be in possession of nearly 12 grams of methamphetamine (stimulant drug) and 2 grams of fentanyl (synthetic opioid drug). Deputies also learned that the UTV had recently been stolen from a farm just east of Chiefland, Florida.

Mr. Ford was incarcerated at the Levy County Detention Bureau on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, criminal mischief with property damage of $1,000 or more, two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug equipment ($56,000 bond).

According to the LCSO, Ford has a lengthy criminal history with numerous felony convictions. In March 2017, he was arrested for possession of narcotics and escaped from the rear seat of a patrol vehicle. He was returned to custody in May 2017 and remained incarcerated until his release from the Florida Department of Corrections in December 2019.

Detectives are looking into the activities of Ford the day, prior to his arrest. Any person who has information about William Ford is asked to contact Lt. Mike Narayan at 352-486-5111 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-349-8477 if you wish to remain anonymous.