Tampa man arrested after
high-speed chase

By Carrie A. Mizell

A Tampa man was arrested last week after leading a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on a high-speed chase that began near Rock Bluff and came to an end at Wilcox curve when the man fled on foot.
Sgt. Anita Moore of the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office detained Timothy E. Otto, 41, of Tampa, after she spotted him walking along County Road 339 near the Gilchrist County Jail and recognized him as the missing man the Florida Highway Patrol was searching for.
Later, Trooper Glen Ganus arrived and positively identified Otto, who was immediately arrested and charged with reckless driving, obstruction of justice, giving false information to a law enforcement officer, fleeing and attempting to elude, attaching tag not assigned to vehicle, driving while license suspended, and two felony violations of parole warrants.
Upon arresting Otto, Trooper Ganus closed out a lengthy pursuit of the suspect that began on County Road 340 near Rock Bluff, where Otto was spotted in a 1991 Buick traveling at a high rate of speed.
A 1989 Ford pickup truck driven by Christopher E. Land, 26, of Bell, was also traveling at a high rate of speed behind Otto’s Buick west on County Road 340. At County Road 341, both vehicles turned south and increased their speed to at least 88 mph in a posted 55 mph zone. Trooper Ganus was reportedly able to catch up with the vehicles and conduct a traffic stop on both vehicles.
After briefly talking to both drivers, and citing Land with unlawful speed, Trooper Ganus stated that Otto fled the scene, again traveling south on County Road 341. Trooper Ganus again tried to stop the fleeing driver, who was at times traveling at 100 mph.
Once he reached State Road 26, Otto turned his Buick west, but it left the roadway just before reaching the Wilcox curve. At that point, the vehicle drove across a bike path and onto County Road 232 where again Otto reached speeds of 100 mph.
As Otto approached SW 70th Avenue he slowed his vehicle to 35 mph. Trooper Ganus was able to use a precision mobilization technique to stop the pursuit at that time. However, once the Buick became disabled, the driver fled the area on foot.
Although a perimeter was set around the wooded area and a K-9 was used, Otto was able to elude officers from the Florida Highway Patrol, Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office and Levy County Sheriff’s Office.
At 6:27 p.m. Sgt. Anita Moore spotted Otto and was able to detain him with assistance from Investigator Edwin Jenkins until Trooper Ganus arrived on scene.
Timothy E. Otto was arrested one hour and six minutes after Trooper Ganus initially spotted him speeding. He is now being held in the Gilchrist County Jail.