A Fort Myers man, accused of pointing a gun at deputies during a car chase, remains in the Broward County Jail after seeking release to find out if he has a home to return to.
John Paul Martin, 63, lives just north of the Caloosahatchee River, near the intersection of Highway 41 and Bayshore Road, an area heavily impacted by the high winds and floodwaters of Hurricane Ian.
Martin was arrested weeks before the storm. At a court appearance Thursday afternoon, he asked Broward Judge Phoebee Francois to let him go home.
“I’m from Fort Myers and while I was incarcerated, I lost everything I had over there,” he said. “I’m going to have to start over somewhere and I don’t even know why I was over here in the first place because I was under the influence of that fentanyl [and] I don’t even remember anything.”
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The judge denied his request.
Martin is facing charges that include aggravated assault on an officer, grand theft auto, aggravated fleeing and careless driving among other counts. His bonds total $6,000, records show.
According to the arrest report, he was driving east on Interstate 75 about 11 p.m. Sept. 1 when he passed through the Alligator Alley tool booth and a license plate reader spotted him in a car that was reported stolen in Fort Myers earlier that day.
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Broward Sheriff's deputies began to follow the car that was driving the speed limit on Interstate 595 all the way to Terminal Three at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
When a Miami-Dade Police helicopter and police K9 patrols were in place, deputies used a loudspeaker to order the driver out of the car.
Martin slowly got out and pointed a handgun at two of the deputies who were less than 15 feet away. One yelled “gun” over the loudspeaker and Martin got back in the car and drove off, the report stated.
He sped north on Federal Highway cutting off cars and driving on several sidewalks until he entered the parking lot of the Original Pancake House at 2851 N. Federal Highway and struck a fence, deputies said.
Martin ran off across Federal Highway but was caught by a K9 and several officers. In the crashed car, investigators said they found a black Smith & Wesson .357 handgun that was also reported stolen.
He was arrested and questioned about 4 a.m. Sept. 2. Martin said the car belonged to his supervisor in Fort Myers, but he didn’t know how long he had it or where he got the gun or any details of what just happened because he was high on Fentanyl, the report stated.
