SEBASTIAN — An Okeechobee man with a long criminal record was taken into custody in Indian River County in connection with the death of his grandfather, according to sheriff’s officials from both counties.
Earl Wadlington III, 35, faces charges of fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license. Additional charges are expected from Okeechobee County, officials said.
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers and Okeechobee County Chief Deputy Michael Hazellief discussed the case Thursday afternoon during a news conference at the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began Oct. 12 when Okeechobee County deputies responded to a welfare check at the home of 88-year-old Paul Eugene Baker, a longtime county resident and veteran. Baker’s daughter-in-law reported she had not been able to reach him for several days and found the house in disarray when she checked on him.
Deputies obtained a search warrant and located Baker dead on the property. Items were missing from the home, and Baker’s truck was gone from the driveway. The circumstances and location of the body led investigators to conclude immediately that it was a homicide, Hazellief said. He declined to provide further details while the investigation remains open.
Investigators determined that Wadlington had recently been living with Baker. Family members told deputies that Wadlington had been in and out of prison and that no other relatives were willing to let him stay with them.
Okeechobee County officials used Flock Safety automated license plate readers to track the missing truck and learned that Wadlington had left the area in it. They chose not to release information publicly at the time so he would remain in the vehicle and easier to locate.
The truck registered on Flock cameras early Thursday near Sebastian in Indian River County. That alert led to Wadlington’s arrest after a pursuit that began around 4 a.m. near Indian River Drive. He fled first in the truck and then on foot before deputies caught him. Flowers played a short body-camera video of the chase during the news conference.
“Automated License Plate Reader technology, better known as Flock, allowed Okeechobee Sheriffs Office to determine their suspect had left their county and could be anywhere. The same technology alerted our team that this killer was in our area. Our team quickly and safely apprehended this fleeing felon, protecting our community and seeking justice for the family in Okeechobee,” Flowers told Sebastian Daily.
Wadlington remained in the Indian River County Jail without bail Thursday afternoon, according to the jail website.
Hazellief said Wadlington’s record includes more than 800 felony charges, primarily burglaries, assaults, armed robberies and grand thefts. He had been sentenced to prison on eight of those charges and served a total of seven years.
Flowers also acknowledged that some Indian River County deputies are under investigation for improper use of the Flock system. He said the agency will hold employees accountable for improper use and plans to work with state lawmakers during the next legislative session on additional safeguards for the technology.
He expects to provide a further update on that matter.