By PEGGY KING

peggy.king@gaflnews.com

CORDELE — A Florida man has been charged with multiple traffic offenses after he led local law enforcement personnel on a high speed chase through two counties Sunday morning.

Twenty-four year old Ted Sheets of Fort Myers, Fla., faces charges of speeding, fleeing and attempting to elude, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving and a stop sign violation. He was booked into the Dooly County Jail.

State Patrol Post 30 Sgt. Stan Stalnaker said Trooper David Grantham initiated a traffic stop at Exit 117 on I-75 in Unadilla just before 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

He had clocked the vehicle at 96 miles per hour in a 70 MPH zone.

When Grantham got out of his vehicle, Stalnaker said the driver of the speeding vehicle who was later identified as Sheets, sped off. Grantham gave pursuit.

The Sheets vehicle traveled south to Exit 109 in Vienna and got off on the exit ramp, the sergeant said, but he simply crossed over Hwy. 215 and got back on I-75.

He then continued to Exit 104 where he left the interstate and proceeded west on Farmers Market Rd. At Hwy. 41, he turned south and headed into Cordele.

Before he reached the state Farmers Market, however, Stalnaker said Sheets lost control of his vehicle, struck a curb and blew out both rear tires. He then jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

Soon afterward, however, he was apprehended by a deputy sheriff from Dooly County, Stalnaker said.

Because the incident started in Dooly County, the suspect was booked into that county’s jail.