Florida man tries to elude deputies on riding lawn mower — it did not end well for him

A Florida man who avoided an arrest earlier this year by diving into a swamp was not so lucky when deputies returned for him Saturday — and he tried using a riding lawn mower as a getaway vehicle, authorities said.

Dusty Mobley, 40, of Holt, kicked a John Deere riding lawn mower into “high gear” while he attempted to lose pursuing deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, according to a department statement on its Facebook page.The chase ended when deputies shot Mobley with stun guns, the sheriff’s office said.

“When taken into custody Mobley had a revolver and a handcuff key in his possession, along with a pipe with methamphetamine residue,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Mobley’s hometown, Holt, is about 40 miles northeast of Pensacola, in Florida’s panhandle.

County jail records for Mobley on Monday showed he faces more than a dozen potential charges, including resisting an officer, obstructing police, possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted felon, drug equipment possession, and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

He was being held on no bond, according to the sheriff’s office.

It was not clear Monday afternoon if Mobley had retained an attorney.

His relatives could not immediately be reached.

Michele Nicholson, spokesperson for the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, said Mobley had about a dozen outstanding warrants for his arrest when deputies got word of his whereabouts on Saturday.

Upon arrival, deputies saw him mowing the property's lawn. Chasing Mobley at the wheel of the riding lawn mower, Nicholson said, lasted about 17 seconds.

"This is the first that I can recall of someone attempting to get away on a lawn mower," Nicholson said.

Deputies tried to arrest Mobley on Jan. 3 on suspicion of stealing a $40,000 boat, the sheriff’s office said.

Two days earlier, Mobley used heavy machinery, cutting a hole in a metal building, to steal the vessel from a business, officials said.

When deputies reached Mobley about the stolen boat on Jan. 3, he “was on the boat,” but “dove off the side and disappeared into the swamp to avoid going to jail,” according to the sheriff office's statement.