If you are considering joining the Highway Patrol, here is a hint... don’t lead your potential new boss on a high-speed chase the wrong way down the highway! Which is exactly what David Carpenter did – not once, but repeatedly.
Carpenter was just a week away from taking his physical examination to become a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. But for weeks, troopers and other authorities had seen Carpenter speeding through traffic at speeds of up to 140 mph. He managed to flee at least twice and almost caused two wrecks involving troopers, said FHP spokesman Lt. Julio Pajon
But having established a pattern, the FHP waited for Carpenter using a helicopter and troopers stationed strategically along the highway. Soon enough, Carpenter led troopers on a chase captured on surveillance camera. Carpenter initially escaped once again, but the helicopter picked up his bike and led officers to his address, where he was pretending to wash his car.
Initially, he denied being the biker, but his dog gave him away! Police charged Carpenter with three counts of aggravated fleeing, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of reckless driving. He also received a citation for bending back his license tag from plain sight.
As for his application to become a ChiP… "We told him don't bother showing up," said FHP spokesman Lt. Julio Pajon, after officers snared Carpenter on Monday. "Getting arrested is an automatic disqualifier."
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