A Florida man who successfully escaped arrest earlier this year by reportedly jumping off a boat into a swamp was unsuccessful in his latest attempt after he tried to outrun deputies on a riding lawnmower, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news release shared on its Facebook page, the Sheriff’s Office said deputies tried to serve 40-year-old Dusty Mobley with warrants in January 2022 related to an investigation into an alleged stolen boat. However, when Mobley was approached by deputies, he reportedly “dove off the side and disappeared into the swamp to avoid going to jail.”
Mobley managed to stay on the lam for five months until deputies showed up on Saturday morning at a house and attempted to arrest him again. This time, Mobley was reportedly on a John Deere riding lawnmower and put it into “high gear and attempted to outrun pursuing deputies,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies used a Taser on him and took him into custody, according to the release. He was booked into the Okaloosa County Jail on several charges, including grand theft, grand theft of a vehicle, felony criminal mischief, resisting an officer, possession of a concealed weapon, carrying a concealed handcuff key, and possession of drug paraphernalia, among others.
Mobley is accused of using heavy machinery to cut a hole into a building on Jan. 1, 2022, and steal a $40,000 boat from a nearby business earlier this year.
He is being held in jail on no bond.
