{{headline}}
Hugh Garbrick | Hugh.Garbrick@wtop.com
December 31, 2022, 8:30 PM
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated from a prior version to clarify the type of machinery the man was driving.
A man “in crisis” was refusing to exit a John Deere skid steer that he drove through Frederick, Maryland, on Saturday, authorities said in a statement posted to Facebook.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said they persuaded the man to exit the skid steer — which is a piece of equipment often used for construction — on Marcies Choice Lane, where deputies used an armored vehicle called a BearCat.
Deputies said they then took the man into custody without incident. He was charged with multiple traffic violations, including fleeing and eluding, by citation.
The driver was taken to Frederick Health Hospital for an evaluation, according to the statement. At the owner’s request, the track loader was returned to their farm in Walkersville.
Before taking the man into custody, deputies with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office shut down roads and tried to stop the man driving the machine multiple times.
Deputies said the driver had told them that he was on his way to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center.
A few years ago, The Frederick News-Post reported that the sheriff’s office spent just under a quarter million dollars on a BearCat, the armored vehicle used to stop the man driving the track loader. A majority of the funding, $225,000, came from “money that the Sheriff’s Office received for housing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees.” The remaining money came from other assets such as vehicles seized in drug arrests.
“I want people to know that the money came from drug dealers and illegal aliens,” said Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, speaking with the Frederick News-Post.
Hugh graduated from the University of Maryland’s journalism college in 2020. While studying, he interned at the Queen Anne & Magnolia News, a local paper in Seattle, and reported for the school’s Capital News Service. Hugh is a lifelong MoCo resident, and has listened to the local radio quite a bit.
Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2022 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Need help accessing the FCC Public File due to a disability? Please contact George Molnar at publicfiledc@hubbardradio.com or (202) 895-5120.
Copyright © 2022 by WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
