VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A manhunt ended Wednesday evening after officials in Volusia County nabbed a man accused of getting violent with his ex-girlfriend in Flagler County and threatening a Flagler deputy a day earlier.
- Justin Tyler Blake, 24, accused of attacking ex-girlfriend
- Stalking suspect drove at Flagler deputy, report alleges
- Blake vanished into woods Tuesday, emerged in South Daytona
Justin Tyler Blake, 24, was taken into custody in South Daytona at about 6:30 p.m. by officers from several agencies, including South Daytona, Port Orange, and Daytona Beach Shores police departments and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
According to Flagler County Sheriff's Office, authorities were pursuing Blake on Sandusky Circle in South Daytona. He then reportedly jumped into the Halifax River, where Volusia County Beach Safety used jet skis to apprehend him.
“Not only has this suspect stalked his victim across multiple states, but he also endangered the lives of the other drivers on the road and one of my deputies,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. “He picked the wrong county. We will not rest until we find him and lock him up where he belongs.”
Blake confronted his ex-girlfriend as she was leaving AdventHealth in Palm Coast when she saw a U-Haul truck in the parking lot and Blake getting out of a truck walking toward her on Tuesday, Sheriff's officials said.
She told deputies that she went into McDonald's to hide and call for help.
He continued to follow her as she went to a RaceTrac at State Road 100 and Old Kings Road.
The woman’s friend arrived, but Blake grabbed his ex-girlfriend's arm and would not let her get into her friend’s vehicle, deputies said.
The ex-girlfriend suffered scrapes and a large red mark on her left forearm.
Meanwhile, deputies put tire-flattening “stop sticks” behind the right tire of Blake’s U-Haul truck.
Blake put the truck in reverse, deflating a tire, and then drove at a deputy who stood in front of the truck with his firearm drawn while ordering Blake to get out of the truck, deputies said.
Then Blake put the vehicle in drive and headed straight at the deputy with no indication that he was stopping, officials allege.
The deputy was forced to dodge to avoid getting hit by the truck.
Deputies said Blake pulled onto S.R. 100, heading toward southbound Interstate 95. He drove on and off the roadway multiple times with a right rear tire gone while going 55 to 65 mph.
Then he drove into the southbound I-95 median near mile marker 279, where he exited the moving vehicle and ran into the wood line.
Flagler Sheriff's Office dogs tracked the man with the assistance of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, but they were unable to find him.
A small dog found in the U-Haul truck was turned over to Animal Control. The truck was hauled away.
The alleged victim said Blake has been following her for the past few months and she was in fear for her life. She said she moved out of the house they were living in together out of state because he beat her and their children, a report said.
She said he made numerous threats to harm people who stand in his way of getting to her.
Blake faces these charges, and more may be pending:
- Aggravated assault on a law officer
- Stalking
- Driving with a suspended license
- Resisting an officer without violence
- Domestic battery
- Fleeing and eluding law officers using lights and sirens
The Flagler Sheriff's Office said Blake was to be booked into the Volusia County Jail and extradited to Flagler to face charges.
