BELLEVIEW, Fla. — A driver inquired about whether a Marion County stop sign is up to code after he says he got a ticket for not seeing the sign.

Tommy Shapard says it’s too short.

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To get home to Jacksonville from a family vacation in St. Petersburg, Shapard’s navigation app directed him to cut through the state and make his way through Belleview.

“Instead of veering to the left, I went straight and ended up on some back road,” he said.

Between looking at his phone to get back on the right road and following behind two vehicles, Shapard went through the stop sign on Southeast Magnolia Road at Southeast Agnew Road.

“I admitted to the officers that I just didn’t see it,” he said. “It looks very short there.”

Shapard got back on track and made it home, but the stop sign’s small stature bothered him.

“Let me message Jerry and see if he knows anything about this,” Shapard said.

So I took my tape measure out to the Southeast Magnolia Road and Southeast Agnew Road intersection.

The Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states the minimum height of a stop sign, measured from the top of the curb or ground to the bottom of the sign, shall be 7 feet.

Based on my measurement, the stop sign in question was about 5 inches short.

I measured the other stop signs at this intersection, and all but one was below 7 feet.

“I would like to see if the stop sign is up to code,” Shapard said.

I asked Bob Titterington, the public works director for Belleview, about the stop sign’s height.

That 7-foot height rule is for urban areas where parking or pedestrian movements are likely to occur, or where the view of the sign might be obstructed.

“I reviewed the intersection referenced and determined that the roadway does not have any sidewalks for pedestrians or parked cars that may prevent visibility of the stop sign,” Titterington said. “Therefore, in my opinion, the height of the sign measured by you is adequate and visible.”

Titterington, who started a year ago, admits if he were to install new stop signs, he’d make sure they’re at least 7 feet high.

“Being higher up (in an SUV) and being on the left, the driver’s side, I missed it,” Shapard said.

He still thinks the stop sign’s height isn’t adequate, especially for taller vehicles.

But he’ll pay the $170 ticket and take a class to avoid points on his license.

“I ran through it; I’m going to take care of that, but I’d like to prevent perhaps others from missing it, and who knows, maybe an accident,” he said.

Submit any traffic concerns on the Spectrum News App in the Traffic and Transit section, or go to mynews13.com/trafficinbox, and fill out the form on the right side of the screen.

A 37-year-old Belleview man was arrested after he fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy who had attempted to conduct a traffic stop on S U.S. Highway 441.

On Wednesday, the MCSO deputy was in the area of Sunset Harbor Road and S U.S. Highway 441 in Summerfield when a red two-door sedan was observed driving westbound on Sunset Harbor Road at approximately 100 miles per hour in a posted 45-mph zone. The driver was later identified as Jason Elliott Brown, according to the arrest report.

The deputy noted in the report that Brown’s vehicle proceeded to pass another motorist while crossing the double yellow line, and he then continued heading westbound to S U.S. Highway 441. After activating the patrol car’s emergency lights and siren, the deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but a pursuit was initiated when Brown refused to slow down.

The MCSO report stated that Brown’s vehicle made multiple dangerous maneuvers during the pursuit, which displayed a “blatant disregard for the safety of others in the area.” The deputy noted that Brown made a rapid U-turn, drove in circles around the deputy’s patrol car, and drove onto a field in an attempt to evade the deputy.

The pursuit came to an end when the deputy successfully performed a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuver against Brown’s vehicle near the 13900 block of S Highway 301. Brown was detained in handcuffs.

After being read his Miranda rights, Brown admitted that he fled from the traffic stop because he believed that the deputy had been “sent to find him” regarding an alleged false accusation that had been made against him. When Brown saw the deputy’s patrol car, he stated that he “got spooked” and fled, according to the MCSO report.

While speaking with the deputy, Brown advised that he made a mistake and he apologized to the sheriff’s office for “putting y’all through that.”

Brown was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $1,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer with disregard of safety to persons or property.

A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, according to jail records.

A 37-year-old Belleview man was arrested after he fled from a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy who had attempted to conduct a traffic stop on S U.S. Highway 441.

On Wednesday, the MCSO deputy was in the area of Sunset Harbor Road and S U.S. Highway 441 in Summerfield when a red two-door sedan was observed driving westbound on Sunset Harbor Road at approximately 100 miles per hour in a posted 45-mph zone. The driver was later identified as Jason Elliott Brown, according to the arrest report.

The deputy noted in the report that Brown’s vehicle proceeded to pass another motorist while crossing the double yellow line, and he then continued heading westbound to S U.S. Highway 441. After activating the patrol car’s emergency lights and siren, the deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but a pursuit was initiated when Brown refused to slow down.

The MCSO report stated that Brown’s vehicle made multiple dangerous maneuvers during the pursuit, which displayed a “blatant disregard for the safety of others in the area.” The deputy noted that Brown made a rapid U-turn, drove in circles around the deputy’s patrol car, and drove onto a field in an attempt to evade the deputy.

The pursuit came to an end when the deputy successfully performed a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuver against Brown’s vehicle near the 13900 block of S Highway 301. Brown was detained in handcuffs.

After being read his Miranda rights, Brown admitted that he fled from the traffic stop because he believed that the deputy had been “sent to find him” regarding an alleged false accusation that had been made against him. When Brown saw the deputy’s patrol car, he stated that he “got spooked” and fled, according to the MCSO report.

While speaking with the deputy, Brown advised that he made a mistake and he apologized to the sheriff’s office for “putting y’all through that.”

Brown was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $1,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer with disregard of safety to persons or property.

A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, according to jail records.

A 26-year-old Belleview man was arrested after a woman claimed that he threw her to the floor, attacked her, and used his hands to restrict her breathing during an argument that turned physical.

On Saturday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local residence in reference to a physical altercation. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the female victim who advised that the incident involved Dylan Lee Tucker, according to the arrest report.

The victim told the deputy that the incident occurred in the evening hours on February 18, and it began as a verbal argument. When the victim attempted to leave the residence during the argument, she advised that Tucker grabbed her and threw her to the floor, according to the MCSO report.

The victim further advised that Tucker struck her several times in the face and head before allegedly grabbing her by the neck. She stated that Tucker then used his hands to “block her mouth and nose,” and she was unable to breathe.

In the MCSO report, the deputy noted that the victim provided photographs and a video on her cellphone from the day after the incident, which showed bruising on the side of her neck and on her face under her right eye. According to the report, the glare from the sun made the photos difficult to see on the deputy’s body camera footage, and the deputy requested for the victim to send a copy of those photos.

While the victim initially agreed to send a copy of the photos showing the injuries she sustained during the alleged incident, the MCSO report stated that the victim later refused the deputy’s request because she did not want Tucker to be arrested and sent to jail.

On Sunday, March 26, the deputy contacted the victim and was informed that Tucker was at the residence, and she gave the deputy permission to stop by the home to speak with him. The deputy noted in the report that contact was then made with Tucker at the incident location.

In a post-Miranda interview, Tucker initially denied the victim’s allegations. He then admitted that an argument with the victim had occurred on the day of the incident and they both “shoved each other,” though he claimed it never became more physical than that, according to the MCSO report.

The deputy noted in the report that Tucker was asked about the victim’s injuries, and he claimed that he “did not know” how those injuries were sustained on the day of the incident.

Tucker was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond. He is facing a felony charge for committing domestic battery by strangulation.

A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 23, according to jail records.

BELLEVIEW, Fla. – Marion County sheriff’s deputies are working to locate a former volunteer high school cheerleading coach accused of stealing money from the team’s booster club.

Investigators said Richard Khris Tillman, 32, stole more than $6,000 from the Belleview High School cheerleading squad’s fund.

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Tillman arranged for the cheerleaders to work concession stands at the University of Florida in order to earn a portion of the revenue, according to officials, who said he routed the money to his own bank account instead of the team’s.

Marion County Public Schools said Tillman was a volunteer coach who was in the process of becoming a paid coach at Belleview High.

School district officials said an accusation was lodged against Tillman and he was prohibited from being on campus or participating in cheerleading activities.

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Tillman, who was not an official employee of MCPS, was relieved of his duties after law enforcement launched an investigation, school officials said.