Man arrested in swamp had 'case of the stupids'

DELAND, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - What began as a simple traffic stop turned into a swampy, soaking search for a suspect. Deputies in Florida said a driver, who fled on foot following the stop, told them he "had a case of the stupids."

The driver was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt and for having an inoperable tag light, deputies said.  As seen in video released by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, his chosen refuge was a lake, just north of DeLand.

Deputies surrounded the lake and attempted to retrieve the man with the help of a K-9. After wading through waist-deep water, they eventually commandeered a nearby jon boat to paddle to him.

"Once ashore, the defendant advised he ran, because he 'had a case of the stupids,'" the Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators said they found a glass smoking pipe in the man's pocket which tested positive for methamphetamine.

The man was charged with fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, driving while license suspended, resisting arrest without violence and possession of drug paraphernalia.  

The defendant's name was not immediately released.