JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of causing a multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 295 earlier this month that killed a 66-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday morning at his arraignment.
Rodney Wesley, 20, has been charged with grand theft auto, carjacking, theft, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, vehicular homicide, and resisting without violence.
Wesley’s bond was set at $2.5 million.
Prosecutors said if convicted on all charges, Wesley could face a minimum of 17.5 years in prison.
Wesley will be back in court on March 27.
In the bizarre hit-and-run crash on Feb. 4, a motorcyclist died and the wrong-way driver, identified by police as Wesley, escaped on the back of a semi.
According to Wesley’s arrest report, the incident that ended in the crash began on Feb. 3 when officers responded to a reported car theft at 5114 Somerton Court.
The victim said he was putting air in his tires and was walking “in and out” of his home when he realized he could no longer hear the air compressor.
When he went outside, his white 2017 Lexus RX350 was gone, the man told police.
The next day -- the day of the crash -- the man told police that he’d learned his neighbor’s daughter knew who stole the vehicle and had seen the man with the Lexus earlier that day.
Investigators then learned that the stolen vehicle had been found abandoned at 8764 Buttercup St.
Later that day, around 4:30 p.m., an armed carjacking was reported at an Arco gas station at 7890 103rd St.
The victim told police that he stopped at a pump to get gas and when he began to reach for the pump, Wesley was standing in front of him.
“Once the suspect and (the victim) disengaged, (the victim) ran into the gas station and observed the suspect driving his vehicle out of the gas station traveling east on 103rd Street,” police said.
A few hours later, around 9 p.m., officers were sent to the scene of a pileup crash on I-295 North involving the stolen vehicle. The highway was shut down for hours following the crash.
Florida Highway Patrol later said that a 66-year-old motorcyclist died when he was thrown off his motorcycle after being hit by Wesley and was then hit by an Acura that was driving behind him.
Troopers said that after the pileup, Wesley tried to steal another vehicle but failed before running from the scene. Until his arrest, he was last seen riding on the outside of a semi that had driven through the area.
“Crime scene detectives processed the vehicle. A substantial amount of blood was located on the exterior of the driver’s side as well as the vehicle’s interior,” JSO said.
Officers also found a backpack in the vehicle that matched one worn by Wesley when he approached the man at the Arco gas station.
An officer who said he saw the crash told detectives that he would be able to identify the suspect if he saw him again.
Around 1 p.m. the day after the crash, that officer was shown a picture of Wesley and confirmed that he was the same person the officer saw getting out of the vehicle involved in the I-295 crash, noting the suspect had “the same hair and distinct jawline.”
The search for Wesley continued into the next day when a detective said he saw him committing traffic violations on his bike. The detective approached Wesley in his police car and attempted to pull him over.
According to police, Wesley “looked directly” at the detective’s vehicle, “swerved around” and began riding his bike away from officers. Once his bike path was blocked, Wesley got off his bike and began running away toward Susie Street.
Wesley continued running through the backyard of a home on Osteen Street as officers chased after him. He was eventually found hiding behind a shed at a home on Osteen Street by a K9 officer and was taken into custody.
“As detectives grabbed Wesley’s arms and attempted to take him into custody. Wesley tensed his arms and was given loud verbal commands to put his hands behind his back,” JSO said. “Wesley was placed into handcuffs and JFRD responded to provide medical aid for Wesley’s wrist and leg from the dog bite.”
After being taken to UF Health by JFRD, Wesley was booked for his active warrants and for resisting without violence.
