Man surrenders after running from CCSO, crashing car in GCS

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A 30-year-old man turned himself in at the Clay County Jail to face charges for running from a crash on North Road on Dec. 28. 

Matthew Jackson Cummings, of Green Cove Springs, is accused of fleeing law enforcement with lights and siren active, driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage after a Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to stop him on Oakridge Road shortly before noon after he saw Cummings driving erratically. 

According to the affidavit for arrest report, Cummings was “traveling at a high rate of speed,” and he failed to maintain a single lane, drove the wrong way on the road, ran stop signs, failed to use his signals, and nearly hit a pedestrian and another vehicle. When he attempted to stop him, Cummings sped away, and the chase lasted 1.4 miles until Cummings crashed through a street sign and then into a tree. He then ran from the scene. 

The deputy found marijuana in the car. A background check revealed his license had been suspended twice. 

A warrant was issued on Jan. 2 for his arrest, and he turned himself in that day. 

His bond was set at $106,507. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 3. 

Person in serious condition following Orange Park shooting 

ORANGE PARK – According to the Orange Park Police Department, a male was shot on Friday, Jan. 2, near Orange Avenue and Marcia Drive and remains in serious condition 

Officers arrived shortly after midnight and talked with several people who confirmed the shooting. 

The incident is under investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact OPPD at (904) 264-555 or Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477. 

Pair arrested after speeding away from CCSO traffic stop 

FLEMING ISLAND – A couple was arrested after they ran from a speed enforcement checkpoint on Tuesday, Dec. 30, and led a Clay County Sheriff’s Office motorcycle deputy on a chase from Old Hard Road to Market Street. 

Destiny Arneitha Blount, 20, and D’Wonya Jeremy Williams, 20, both of Green Cove Springs, were charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement with lights and siren active after the deputy walked onto Old Hard Road to order Blount to turn onto Cattle Gap Road after she was caught on radar driving 56 mph in a 25-mph zone. 

According to the arrest report, Blount turned onto Cattle Gap Road, and she immediately pulled back onto Old Hard Road to flee. The deputy got on his motorcycle and chased the couple across Town Center Boulevard before they stopped on Market Street, where they both ran from the car near the Island Star Building. 

The deputy attempted to arrest Williams, but he fled into a wooded area. The deputy returned to the car to secure it from the passenger side. Williams jumped into the driver’s seat and started to pull away, dragging the deputy, who used his stun gun to force Williams to comply. 

Williams stopped and ran back into the woods. He eventually jumped into a pond, and when he got out, he was arrested. 

Blount’s mother convinced her to turn herself in at the Clay County Jail. 

Williams, whose bond was set at $150,006, was also charged with aggravated battery on law enforcement and resisting arrest with violence. Blount was charged with driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest. Her bond was set at $60,007. 

Starke man jailed after leaving crash scene, leading CCSO on chase 

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – A man who was out on bond after being charged on July 14 for stealing an electric scooter, was arrested again on  Friday, Dec. 26, after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office accused him of trying to run from them while they had their flashing lights and sirens active, after he left the scene of an accident without stopping to render aid to an injured person. 

Andrew Alan Ables, 26, of Starke, was ordered to be held at the Clay County Jail without bond, after deputies were called to the BP station on County Road 214 after several people were seen jumping a man in the parking lot. 

According to the arrest report, when a deputy arrived, he told Ables he wasn’t free to leave, but Ables got in a car and fled the scene. 

The chase continued westbound on State Road 100 to CR 214, when it ran off the road and created a large cloud of dust. After Ables' car disappeared, the deputy called off the chase. 

When the deputy returned to the BP station, he received a call from a dispatcher that Ables had crashed at the intersection of CR 214 and Blue Marlin Drive. The deputy found the car, and it appeared to have struck a tree. The airbags were deployed, the windshield was “impacted,” and the seats were forward. Nobody was inside the car. 

Ables’ passenger returned to the BP station with injuries to her face. 

Ables was also charged with driving with a suspended license. 

His next court appearances were scheduled for Jan. 5 and Feb. 3.