Man used heroin while trying to get away from deputies

OCALA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Deputies say a Marion County man shot up heroin while they were chasing him.

Dash cam video shows a K9 catching up with the man after he ditches the car was driving Monday. He’s then handcuffed and taken to jail.

“I was more focused on trying to get high while they were right on my behind with the cop car and then I wasn’t going to pull over until I got high,” John Quincey Stephens said in a jailhouse interview with FOX 35.

You could call it a vicious cycle for the Marion County man. He’s been in an orange jumpsuit before and is now facing a slew of new charges.

Investigators say Stephens had warrants for things like grand theft and fraud before he was caught.

“All of them tie back to drugs – if you don’t have the money to get it you’ve got to get it somehow,” he explained.

The 30-year-old is brutally honest about an addiction that has plagued the country.

“It’s something that is emerging in not only our community and communities across the state Florida and the nation, it’s an epidemic,” said Marion County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Lauren Lettelier.

Stephens, a father of two, tells us heroin cost him his family and health. Now his freedom is gone too. He’s currently being held without bond.

We asked Stephens why he agreed to an interview with us.

“Maybe it’s what I need to help myself get off of it – maybe to help somebody, if not – look where you’ll sit. You’ll be right in the same spot I’m in,” he said.