A woman's screams led a St. Johns County Sheriff's Office deputy to conduct a traffic stop Thursday morning, ending with a man's arrest on charges of battery, burglary and intimidation of a victim.
The incident began when Kirk Daniel Stevens, 34, of St. Augustine, broke into a woman's home at 6:50 a.m. using wire cutters, pliers and a knife, according to a release from SJSO. Stevens got these items from a shed near the home.
Stevens then took the woman's phone and forced her and the home's other occupants into a car. Deputy Justin Cash was working traffic enforcement as the car Stevens was driving passed by Hilltop and Kings Estate roads. Cash heard a woman's screams and conducted a traffic stop and at that point, Stevens ran from the car into the woods, the release detailed.
The woman and multiple children were left behind in the car, SJSO said. For 20 minutes, K-9 units and other deputies searched for Stevens. He was apprehended around 7:18 a.m. and taken to the hospital, as he was bitten by K-9s during his attempt to escape, SJSO said.
A search of Stevens' name revealed that he was wanted in St. Johns County on other domestic-related warrants, but he was hiding in a hotel "in a nearby jurisdiction and had not been found," SJSO said in its release.
Stevens is being held in the St. Johns County Jail.
Cox Media Group
