Staff report

WALDO, Fla. – Mitchell Craig Griffin, Jr., 21, of Waldo, was arrested last night and charged with fleeing, resisting an officer without violence, and drug possession after allegedly driving 130 mph on Waldo Road and driving through yards while fleeing from a trooper.

A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper reportedly saw a Toyota traveling southbound on SR 24 at about 8:01 p.m. last night and estimated it was traveling at about 90 mph in a 65 mph zone. The trooper reportedly moved behind the Toyota and turned on lights and sirens, and the Toyota reportedly made a U-turn and began driving northbound toward Waldo. The trooper reported that the Toyota sped up to over 130 mph while fleeing.

The Toyota reportedly entered the city limits of Waldo and drove into a residential neighborhood to the northeast of CR 1475 and NE 148th 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 NE 150th Avenue and NE 139th Terrace, and the driver got out of the vehicle and lay down on the ground, where he was taken into custody. 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 felony convictions (none violent) and is on probation in Marion County for grand theft of a motor vehicle. In 2021, he was arrested in Gainesville and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and illegally carrying a concealed firearm, but the charges were later dropped. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $75,000 and set a curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.