Armed felon arrested after low-speed pursuit through Volusia County

A convicted felon from Chuluota is facing a new list of felony charges after deputies say he ran from a traffic stop in Orange City.

Volusia County deputies responded to the area of Volusia Ave. and Graves Ave. just before 3:15 a.m. Thursday to assist Orange City police officers with a driver who refused to stop and fled from them at low speed.

According to the sheriff’s office, Orange City police followed the driver down several side streets until he turned south onto U.S. Highway 17-92.

Volusia County deputies responded to assist once the suspect vehicle left city limits.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were able to deflate all four of the suspect vehicle’s tires using stop-sticks, eventually forcing it to stop, but that wouldn’t be the end of the ordeal.

Deputies say the driver, later identified as 37-year-old Robert Courtney, continued to resist by refusing to exit the vehicle.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies and Orange City officers spent approximately an hour communicating with Courtney in an attempt to get him to surrender peacefully.

They used shields to carefully approach the driver’s side of the truck and took Courtney into custody.

After searching the vehicle, deputies say they found two guns and some drug paraphernalia.

Courtney was turned over to Orange City police officers to be arrested on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis, resisting an officer without violence, and driving with a suspended license. He’s being held in the Volusia County jail on no bond.

According to the sheriff’s office, Courtney was on inmate release status for a felony burglary conviction.