JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Rodney Wesley, the man charged in the deadly wrong-way crash turned armed carjacking on Interstate 295 earlier this month is pleading not guilty to the seven charges against him.
They’re part of multiple separate cases but connected to the same pileup of cars on the interstate in the Jacksonville Heights area that Action News Jax first told you about more than three weeks ago.
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The crash happened on February 4th and, as we told you earlier this month, Wesley was arrested two days later. The arrest report says Wesley was seen riding his bike and then was chased by officers to Osteen Street, where he was found hiding behind a shed.
Arrest Report by ActionNewsJax on Scribd
On the day of the crash, the arrest report said Wesley had used a gun to steal a truck at a gas station on 103rd Street, started driving the wrong way on I-295, and hit a motorcycle head-on, killing the 66-year-old man, identified by police as Michael Simmons, driving it.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Wesley, after the crash, then tried stealing two other cars, a Mustang, and a Toyota SUV. Police say he hit the woman driving the Mustang in the face while trying to steal her car but ended up walking into the middle of I-295 and hopped onto the back of a tractor-trailer. The arrest report said he rode on the back for a little while before jumping off and running into the woods.
Some of the charges Wesley is facing include armed carjacking and grand theft auto. For the armed carjacking charge, alone, Florida law says he could face life in prison if he is convicted.
Wesley is scheduled for another court appearance on March 27 at 9 a.m.
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