For weeks, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division had been looking into the theft of a $98,000 Takeuchi skid steer, stolen off Highway 31. Investigators tracked the stolen machine as it moved across county lines, and soon Highlands and Hendry Counties issued BOLOs for a black Dodge Ram hauling heavy equipment. That same truck was later spotted back in DeSoto County. Then, on June 9, 2025, deputies with the Sheriff’s Office tried to stop the truck. But instead of pulling over, the driver — identified as Yam B. Perera Nunez — took off, leading deputies on a high-speed chase down Highway 70. Investigators say Nunez is a convicted felon with an expired driver’s license, and the truck he was behind the wheel of was also stolen. The Florida Highway Patrol joined in to assist deputies in the pursuit.