A 31-year-old Jacksonville man is accused of breaking Florida’s “super speeder” law in Indian River County, according to a sheriff’s arrest report.
Angelo Piner was arrested about 11 p.m. Aug. 25 and charged with dangerous excessive speeding, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, DUI and refusal to submit to DUI testing, according to the report.
Deputies had responded to southbound Interstate 95 near mile marker 146, about a mile south of State Road 60 in Vero Beach, in reference to a reckless driving complaint, according to the report.
About 10 miles north of that, a witness reported seeing a Volkswagen SUV stopped in the middle of County Road 512 near the I-95 on-ramp, and its driver appeared to be unresponsive and slumped over the steering wheel.
When the witness tried to wake the driver, later identified as Piner, he immediately sped away, hitting a utility pole and continuing south on I-95 at a high rate of speed, according to the report. The witness said they couldn’t follow because the vehicle was traveling over 100 mph.
Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant in Fellsmere has served pizza since 1983
1 of 9
Giuseppe Giambanco and his son, Robert, opened Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant in Fellsmere in 1983. Now, Robert’s daughter, Raffaella, and her husband, Brett, run the restaurant and still use the family’s authentic recipes. (PROVIDED BY GIUSEPPE’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT)
Vero Beach: Man charged with breaking Florida ‘super speeder’ law
St. Lucie County: Mn, 43, accused of firing multiple rounds in his backyard
Deputies saw the SUV on I-95 and clocked it with radar traveling at 99 mph, according to the report. They tried to stop the vehicle, but it continued traveling south at a high rate of speed “in an unpredictable and erratic manner” and changed lanes multiple times without signaling before it pulled over near mile marker 144.
Piner couldn’t sit still and appeared to be sweating profusely, according to the report. He denied being in a crash despite what appeared to be fresh damage to the SUV’s front right bumper and said he was driving erratically because he was scared of people rummaging through his car.
He said he had taken prescription pain medication and drank a few beers earlier in the night, according to the report. He refused to perform standardized field sobriety tests or to give breath samples, and he was taken into custody.
Piner remained in the Indian River County Jail on Aug. 26 after his first appearance at the Indian River County Courthouse, where his bail was set at $15,000, according to the jail’s website and court documents.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jacksonville man accused of breaking Florida ‘super speeder’ law