MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA: According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, a Florida man was arrested after deputies allegedly saw him driving around in circles in a church parking lot. When the authorities tried to arrest him, he tried to escape by claiming that a cult "told him to." A police affidavit states that John Souza was detained on Monday, July 31, for allegedly evading and fleeing a police officer, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando.
Who is John Souza?
According to an affidavit, officers spotted a Florida man on Monday driving around in a forested area of Silver Springs' St Joseph of the Forest Mission church. The individual was eventually identified as 41-year-old John Souza. When a deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Souza reportedly drove away. The affidavit claims that Souza ran a stop sign while attempting to escape and continued to disregard the deputy's flashing lights and siren. The Florida man was eventually located by the deputy at a nearby car wash, where he was able to block him in and was arrested. According to deputies, Souza was by himself throughout the entire exchange. The Florida man was taken into custody on a $2,000 bond.
Why didn't John Souza initially stop at the church?
The affidavit claims that after Souza was informed of his Miranda rights, he consented to speak with the deputy and talked about a cult and how he had been "told to flee" from the officer. Souza added that he is aware that he might face criminal charges for leaving the scene. According to the affidavit, when the deputy questioned Souza about why he initially did not stop at the church, Souza replied that he had to run away because "they" had ordered him to.
Florida man arrested for impersonating US Marshal on July 31
On the same day of Souza's arrest, another Florida man was also detained for impersonating a US Marshal while driving a truck with flashing lights and a siren. Derry Lambert, 52, was charged by the Marion County Sheriff's Office with numerous offenses that stemmed from assuming the identity of a US Marshal. An officer allegedly pulled Lambert's pickup truck over after noticing its lights and siren. When Lambert was detained, he claimed to be a US Marshal on a mission from Texas to Florida. Although deputies claimed there had not been any shootings in Marion Oaks, he claimed to be responding to a shootout there.
According to a news release, when deputies approached Lambert's car, he was wearing a cap that read 'Police US Marshal' and a Department of Justice seal. While Lambert's US Marshal story didn't just add up, deputies also found a gun in his car and some medications for which he didn't have a prescription. However, records from the Marion County Jail show that Lambert was released early on Wednesday, August 2, per FOX 35 Orlando.
