PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A man convicted of kidnapping a mother and her two children was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday after a dramatic police chase across two counties.
Michael McNeal, 37, was found guilty of aggravated fleeing, false imprisonment, and other charges after leading deputies on a high-speed pursuit that started in St. Johns County and ended with a crash in Putnam County last March.
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McNeal ran from the wreck, leaving the woman and her kids behind, but was soon found hiding in a tractor-trailer.
During the chase, deputies say the car hit speeds over 130 mph and nearly collided with patrol vehicles.
The children were rescued unharmed. Their mother was beaten and strangled but survived.
McNeal still faces related charges in Broward County, where the kidnapping began.
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