Pasco sheriff's office tweets as suspect flees deputies

LAND O' LAKES (FOX 13) - A child missing her bus to school led to a wanted man being chased on foot and arrested by deputies in Pasco County Wednesday.

And thousands of people watched the drama unfold in real time thanks to the sheriff’s office Wednesday tweet-along.

The suspect’s name is not being released to protect the identity of his child. Deputy Keelie Peckham is the one who brought him in but her day started out a lot less eventful.

She was chosen for the tweet-along, where the sheriff's office follows one deputy for a day to give people a glimpse at what law enforcement does.

Her first call, according to the tweets, was a welfare check for a young girl who missed the school bus. A neighbor found her outside and couldn't contact her parents.

Deputy Peckham showed up and gave the girl toys to play with while she looked up her dad's name in their system. It turned out authorities were already searching for him.

"He had two felony warrants, and you want to find people that have warrants," Deputy Peckham said. "He's got a felony grand theft, a felony driving on a suspended license."

Peckham took the girl to school and child services was called in to interview her. They found out she was often left at home alone to get herself ready and out the door at just seven years old.

It was concerning enough to warrant a felony child neglect charge.

"It was unusual the way she was being supervised, and it definitely needed intervention for her protection," Deputy Peckham explained.

After finding out where the father works, deputies planned to make an arrest, but first, they set up a perimeter around his workplace, expecting the man to run. He didn't let them down.

The father slipped out of the building when he heard deputies were looking for him. He ran into a swamp to avoid them.

But with the help of air and K9 units, they were able to catch him.

Wearing muddy clothing, the man was brought in handcuffs to the Pasco Detention Center. Even his booking process was captured on video and documented in 140 characters.

"This is just a little snippet of one day, but it does not reflect tomorrow, or the next day, or last week, or anything. It's a valuable tool to let citizens know how we're protecting the area," Deputy Peckham reflected.

In addition to those two original felonies, the suspect is also facing felony child neglect and a misdemeanor resisting arrest.

Child services will decide where it's best for his daughter to stay moving forward.