At about 8:51 pm on Monday, June 2nd, PCSO’s Deputy Randolph was conducting traffic enforcement in the area of Winter Lake Road (SR 540) and Monterey Drive in Winter Haven, when a white Ford F-150 caught his attention.
What caught his attention was the Ford’s speed–104mph. The speed limit at that location is 50 mph, so the Ford was twice the limit plus four.
Deputy Randolph turned on his red & blues and watched as the Ford switched lanes multiple times, weaving through traffic, using no turn signals, and causing other motorists to brake.
A traffic stop was performed on the Ford at Winter Lake and Jim Keene Boulevard (right in front of the PCSO’s Operation Center).
The driver handed over his Massachusetts driver’s license, identifying himself as 21-year old Matthew J. Harrison.
The registration on the Ford had expired over a year ago.
Deputy Randolph asked why Matthew was driving so fast; Matthew said that his child was taken to the ER in Brandon, but Matthew was unable to say which hospital. The deputy asked Matthew to call the child’s mother, which he did. The mother knew nothing about the injury. Then Matthew and his wife spoke Spanish, and miraculously, the mother remembered her child was injured.
Deputy Randolph asked more about the hospital, and Matthew said that it was programmed in his phone’s GPS. But it wasn’t.
Matthew Harrison was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and taken to the Polk Pokey where he was cited for: Reckless Driving, Speeding, and Expired Registration.
