A Florida man has been apprehended by authorities while wearing only socks and a loin cloth after being implicated in a series of offenses, including drug possession and multiple hit-and-run incidents. The incident, which also involved a 20-year-old woman, unfolded on June 21, according to law enforcement officials.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer reporting an SUV involved in a high-speed collision with several cars before fleeing the scene. Deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the SUV evaded capture. It eventually entered the premises of Old Kings Elementary School, drove onto the running track, and then proceeded to the Flagler County Landfill before disappearing into a wooded area.
Additional deputies were dispatched to the scene, establishing a perimeter on the ground while utilizing aerial tracking assistance from Flagler County Fireflight. The abandoned vehicle was eventually located, appearing to be stuck on a concrete barrier. Deputies approached the vehicle and issued commands for the driver and passenger to exit. However, both suspects refused to comply, resulting in deputies forcibly removing them.
The male driver, identified as 22-year-old Stephen Peterson, was found in a state of partial undress, wearing only a small covering around his waist and socks. Authorities are uncertain as to why Peterson was not fully clothed.
Peterson and his companion, Victoria Averill, were taken into custody. Peterson faces multiple charges, including fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a crash involving a vehicle or property damage, resisting an officer without violence, trespassing on school grounds, possession of marijuana under 20 grams, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has been booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held on a $19,500 bond.
Averill, on the other hand, has been charged with trespassing on school grounds, possession of marijuana under 20 grams, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bond has been set at $3,000.
Sheriff Rick Staly expressed his astonishment at the situation, stating, “Just when you think you’ve seen and heard everything, a driver causes multiple hit-and-run crashes, flees from law enforcement, resists arrest, and then has to be dragged out naked from his car to be arrested.”
