OCALA, Fla. – A man who tried to ride away from a traffic stop on a bicycle, was caught with a stun gun, and found with drugs, has finished a jail sentence for his crimes.
Jeremy LaMotte was “riding a bicycle in and out of traffic” in Florida one night last September, with “no lighting equipment attached” and causing everyone else to slow down, according to the sheriff’s deputy who tried to pull him over.
“At one point, the defendant yelled that he was stopping; however, did not,” the deputy reported. “The defendant failed to stop and began to quickly accelerate away from me, and turned into the property of [address] and attempted to ride his bicycle in the woods, in an attempt to elude capture.
“The defendant dismounted his bicycle and began to flee on foot. I gave chase while providing verbal commands, and I was able to engage the subject on foot, at which point I deployed my agency-issued electrostatic discharge device [like a Taser], which struck the defendant, at which point I was able to take him into police custody.”
Then, the deputy wrote, “The defendant made a spontaneous statement that he had drugs in a bag that was in his possession during the time of the traffic stop.”
And, “I asked the defendant what his reasoning was for running and attempting to flee from me, at which point he stated he had just got “dope” and chose not to stop.
“The defendant stated he had a vile in the bag which had two separate baggies of drugs,” the arrest report said. “The defendant stated one bag would have methamphetamine and the second bag would have fentanyl.”
Authorities found that, as well as a used needle.
Finally that night, “The defendant was apologetic and did not further resist deputies.”
LaMotte was charged with two felonies – possession of fentanyl and possession of methamphetamine – along with possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting without violence. He could’ve gotten 12 years in prison if convicted.
Waiver of Rights and Plea Agreement, Oct. 25, 2024 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
Instead, a month later, he took a plea deal and was sentenced to four months in jail, with credit for a month and two days served, since he hadn’t paid his $15,000 bond.
Jeremy LaMotte’s Charges-Costs-Fees, Oct. 25, 2024 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
He was also ordered to pay more than $1,100 in fines and other costs.
LaMotte, now 40, was released from jail shortly before the end of his sentence, on Jan. 14, 2025.
His sentencing scoresheet revealed a criminal history in other states that included burglary in 2008 and 2011, possession of cannabis in 2021, and petit theft in 2008 and 2017 – all in New York – and burglary in 2007 in South Carolina.
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