Oakland

GROVELAND, Florida—The man who deputies say rammed three patrol vehicles in a stolen truck, carjacked a citizen and crashed into a school bus is facing five new charges, including three counts of felony criminal mischief, according to a new arrest affidavit.

Joseph Anthony Dale Crawford, 23, of Clermont is in the Lake County Jail on no bond after his two-county crime spree on Feb. 3 ended with him crashing a stolen Ford Bronco into a Lake County Schools bus.

Around 6 a.m. Feb. 3, a woman called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and reported her white 2019 Ford F-250 had been stolen overnight. She provided GPS coordinates to LCSO, and deputies tracked to truck to a gas station near Hartle Road in Clermont, LCSO Lt. Fred Jones said earlier this month.

They found Crawford pumping gas in the stolen truck and he fled when he saw deputies, ramming two patrol cars, disabling one. He was later boxed in at a construction site, where he rammed a third patrol car, Jones said. LCSO successfully deployed stop sticks and Crawford continued into Oakland in Orange County. The truck became stuck and he fled on foot. He attempted to carjack a vehicle, but was unsuccessful. He then carjacked a Ford Bronco as the driver was exiting the SUV and then fled back to Lake County.

He continued fleeing into Groveland, where he crashed into a school bus carrying three children and two adults. None of the occupants on the bus were injured, according to Jones.

Groveland Police Department took Crawford into custody and he was transported to an Orlando hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was arrested that day for three counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding, grand theft, and resisting in Lake County, Jones said. He is facing additional charges in Orange County, but those charges had not been filed with the Orange County Clerk of Court at press time.

On Thursday, six days after the crime spree, Crawford was slapped with five additional charges. Video surveillance showed he used the stolen truck to steal a toolbox from truck parked outside a home on Moonflower Court in Clermont and a glasses case from a vehicle on Silver Leaf Circle in Clermont. He is facing a grand theft and petit theft charge for those crimes.

Crawford has also been charged with three counts of felony criminal mischief for damaging three separate guide rail attenuators on Florida’s Turnpike while he was fleeing deputies in the stolen truck. The attenuators are valued at $30,000.

GROVELAND, Florida—A man is facing a slew of charges in Lake and Orange counties after stealing a struck, ramming three Lake County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars, carjacking a citizen and crashing into a school bus Friday morning, according to LCSO Lt. Fred Jones.

LCSO received a call from the owner of the truck around 6 a.m. and she said her truck had been stolen in the middle of the night. She provided GPS coordinates to LCSO, and deputies tracked to truck to a gas station near Hartle Road in Clermont, Jones said.

They found Joseph Crawford, 23, of Groveland, pumping gas; he fled when he saw deputies, ramming two patrol cars, disabling one. He was later boxed in at a construction site, where he rammed a third patrol car, Jones said. LCSO successfully deployed stop sticks and Crawford continued into Oakland in Orange County. The truck became disabled and he attempted to carjack a vehicle, but was unsuccessful. He then carjacked a Ford Bronco as the driver was exiting the SUV and then fled back to Lake County.

 He continued fleeing into Groveland, where he crashed into a school bus carrying three children and two adults. None of the occupants on the bus were injured, according to Jones.

Groveland Police Department took Crawford into custody and he was transported to an Orlando hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He is facing three counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding, grand theft, and resisting in Lake County, Jones said. He is facing additional charges in Orange County.

Crawford’s Lake County booking information and mugshot were not available at press time.