A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison after leading law enforcement on a drug-impaired, multi-state chase that injured two Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
Florida Circuit Court Judge Jan Shackelford sentenced John Thomas Puckett. Prosecutors said the May 12, 2020, pursuit began when Puckett led the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama on a high-speed chase in a vehicle stolen from Mobile. He crossed into Florida at more than 100 mph, at one point driving over traffic cones to bypass a COVID-19 checkpoint near the weigh station before crashing near Exit 5 at Nine Mile Road.
Bloodwork showed Puckett was under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana, according to the State Attorney’s Office. While receiving medical care, he became violent toward an EMT and spit on her, and he did not have a valid driver’s license. He was sentenced on charges including aggravated fleeing and eluding causing serious bodily injury, DUI causing property damage, driving without a valid license, and battery on an EMT.