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On March 26, 2022, Deputy Witte observed a white Nissan with red spray-painted trim driving on Highway 42. The vehicle matched the description of a vehicle that had been reported stolen out of Sumter County. Deputy Witte attempted to catch up to the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop. After seeing the patrol vehicle, the driver of the Nissan, later identified as 45-year-old James Dale Wells, quickly conducted a U-turn and accelerated to a high rate of speed. Wells then pulled into the parking lot of a Family Dollar store where he fled from the vehicle and ran into the woods behind the store.

K-9 Cpl. Alan Lee and his partner, K-9 Bolo, began a track to locate Wells. First, K-9 Bolo located the shoes Wells was wearing that fell off while he was running away. Next, K-9 Bolo found the key fob for the stolen vehicle. Finally, K-9 Bolo continued his track and brought deputies right to the place where Wells was hiding. Faced with the prospect of getting apprehended by K-9 Bolo, Wells made his first smart decision of the day and chose to surrender himself to deputies. Wells was arrested for Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle and Resisting an Officer Without Violence. He is being held at the Marion County Jail on a $3,000 bond.