A Palm Beach County woman has been charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding after reportedly leading Monroe County Sheriff's deputies on a chase throughout the Keys that reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.
As opposed to ordinary fleeing and eluding, aggravated fleeing requires that the suspect vehicle be traveling at a high rate of speed and that the police use lights and sirens in an effort to pull the vehicle over.
Fleeing and eluding on its own is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Aggravated fleeing and eluding is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Both charges carry the mandatory penalty of a one-year driver's license suspension (minimum) and a felony conviction (adjudication). The court cannot withhold adjudication on a fleeing and eluding charge.
Contact Attorney Eric Matheny for criminal matters in Miami-Dade and Broward.