Florida man put car in cruise control then partially stood up through sunroof while speeding, deputies say
Joseph Ellis was arrested and charged with reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance. (Photo: Clermont Police Department)
CLERMONT, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested after he was clocked going 77 mph in a 45 mph zone in Lake County – but it was a ride that, according to police, "made no sense."
Joseph Ellis, 22, was charged with reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription after the incident that unfolded just before 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit from the Clermont Police Department.
A police officer spotted Ellis in his silver Nissan going nearly 80 mph in a busy area in Clermont that, police said, has a "high volume of crashes," the affidavit said. When the vehicle approached the officer, however, he noticed a person had about half of his body extended from the car's sunroof. When the officer turned on his headlights, the Nissan continued to drive, quickly approaching a major intersection at US-27 and Hooks Street.
The officer then conducted a traffic stop and realized Ellis was the only person in the car.
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"I asked Ellis if he was the only person inside the vehicle, how a person was on the exterior of the vehicle. Ellis repeatedly attempted to say his USB cord got caught. This made no sense on how his auxiliary cord being out of the vehicle made him be on the exterior of his vehicle," the affidavit said.
The officer then noticed a half-full Bud Light can in the center console, plus a container that had an oxycodone pill inside, the affidavit said. Ellis said he hadn't seen it in a few months, and the police officer said Ellis had no proof of him being prescribed the controlled substance.
When Ellis was read his Miranda rights, he explained to the officer that he was heading back from an Easter event with his family and continued to mention the USB cord being stuck in the car. Eventually, he said that the cord got stuck while he was trying to record a video as he was extending himself out of the car's sunroof, the affidavit said. He also admitted to having the vehicle on cruise control and sitting on the center console of the vehicle.
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He was then placed under arrest.
His arrest in Lake County on Sunday comes just over a week after Ellis was arrested for resisting an officer without violence and assault on a law enforcement officer. He was out on bond at the time of Sunday's arrest. Furthermore, police learned that Ellis was also arrested on Feb. 16 for drug possession.
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"Damn officer, I got to go to jail again?" Ellis told the officer during the traffic stop, according to the affidavit.
Police wrote in the affidavit that Ellis "seems to show no regard for the safety of the public."
He remains in custody in Lake County on $3,000 bond, arrest records show.