Double-Murder Suspect Out On Bond In FL Arrested After Fleeing Traffic Stop

THONOTOSASSA, FL — A 13-time convicted felon out on bond on double-murder charges was arrested after fleeing a traffic stop in Thonotosassa earlier this month, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies stopped a car at Taylor Road and Vatican Road on May 9, just after 4 p.m., because its tinted windows seemed to be below the legal limit.

After approaching the driver, James Freeman, 48, deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana, the sheriff’s office said.

They asked Freeman to get out of the car multiple times, but he refused and sped away from the scene.

At the time of the traffic stop, he was out on bond for two counts of murder in the first degree resulting from the unlawful distribution of fentanyl.

A warrant for the charge of fleeing to elude was issued for Freeman. Deputies found and arrested him on Tuesday around 3 p.m. on Radio Lane in Tampa.

In addition to fleeing to elude at a high speed, Freeman was also charged with resisting an officer without violence, possession of cannabis sativa resin and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“This is a violent felon, out on bond for two murder charges, caught with a gun. That alone is alarming,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “It’s because of the vigilance and determination of our deputies that this dangerous criminal is back in custody. Their swift action prevented a potentially volatile situation from becoming something far worse."