A Leesburg man will serve 15 months in State Prison for speeding away from a traffic stop in March.
Kareem Javon Goldwire, 39, pleaded no contest to fleeing or eluding a police officer during a hearing on Tuesday. He was adjudicated guilty by Judge James Baxley, who granted him a downward departure. His sentence, which would normally be five or more years according to Florida statute, was reduced to 15 months with credit for two days.
The investigation began on Jan. 16, when a Leesburg officer spotted Goldwire driving a red Ford sedan northbound on Georgia Avenue, according to an affidavit of probable cause from Lake County. The vehicle’s dark window tint prompted a traffic stop at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Stinson Street.
The officer had just determined the tint was indeed too dark when a K-9 unit arrived on scene. When they mentioned this to Goldwire, he sped away from the traffic stop. He was last seen speeding westbound on Industrial Street with no regard for public safety…