St. Pete father abandons wrecked stolen car with child inside, deputies say
ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - A father was arrested after trying to flee from Pinellas County deputies in a stolen vehicle, crashing it, and abandoning the car with his child inside, officials said.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, they noticed a reported stolen vehicle after midnight on Sunday. Deputies say they ran the tag information and found it was reported stolen on June 10.
Deputies said they attempted a traffic stop at Roosevelt Boulevard and 140th Avenue North, but the vehicle fled in excess of 100 mph. They said the suspect, later identified as Charlie Simmons, drove on the wrong side of the roadway as he fled.
He later crashed head-on into another vehicle, and deputies said he fled on foot leaving his 11-year-old son inside the wrecked car. Deputies chased him and was arrested.
Simmons faces several charges including child neglect, leaving the scene of a crash and grand theft.