PORT ST. LUCIE – An 18-year-old Port St. Lucie man who almost hit an off-duty Port St. Lucie Police sergeant on Nov. 2 remains in the St. Lucie County Jail on DUI and fleeing and eluding charges, according to police reports.
Jake M. Abbott, who was allegedly driving in the wrong lane of traffic on Okeechobee Road in Fort Pierce at about 1:30 a.m., was about to hit a car driven by Sgt. Brennan Vega, who was driving home after his shift, according to police reports.
Vega was able to swerve out of the way onto the shoulder, avoiding a head-on collision, according to police reports. Vega then contacted dispatch, giving his location and the make and model of the car, as Abbott fled the scene, according to police reports.
Vega and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office deputies followed Abbott, who was still driving in the wrong lane, but then came to a stop, according to police reports. There were two other people in the car with Abbott, according to police reports.
Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol from Abbott and saw an empty can of Twisted Tea, an alcoholic beverage, in the car.
Abbott was taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies and transported to the St. Lucie County Jail on DUI and fleeing and eluding, where he remains on $150,000 bond, according to jail records.