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Leaving behind a trail of jewels and juice boxes, a Greenacres man who led Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies on a two-hour chase while he burglarized homes had one request as they put him in handcuffs: He needed some water because he was “extremely thirsty from recently smoking crack,” according to the report.
On Wednesday around noon, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies walked up to Donald Howard, 43, who appeared to be working on his car on the 4100 block of South Haverhill Road. Though the deputies were there to arrest him on an open warrant for contempt of court, Howard told them he had to leave, according to the report. He jumped in his car and drove away, making a U-turn when they pulled their guns, deputies said.
As Howard headed through the backyards of homes in the area, he hit a wood and chain-link fence, so he left the car behind and ran. Deputies chased him, but lost him on the 4100 block of Caesar Circle.
While deputies continued to search, Howard made pit stops along the way burglarizing several homes, both unoccupied and others with owners who told him to leave their property.
A home on the 4900 block of Canton Road — less than a mile north from where deputies lost sight of him — Howard went into an unoccupied home, took jewelry, a man’s shirt and refueled.
The owner of the home said she found three empty Capri Suns and a sweaty shirt scattered between her bedroom and her back porch, according to the report. The bag of her stolen items was later found in a barbecue at the home on Empire Way, where authorities originally attempted to arrest him.
One man told deputies Howard walked into his home with a bag of jewelry asking to use his phone and for some water. He refused and Howard ran, leaving behind some of the jewelry, according to the report.
After two-and-a-half hours, 20 deputies, five Greenacres police officers, four PBSO K-9s and the sheriff’s helicopter, authorities were able to locate Howard just blocks away from where they started. As authorities closed in, residents told officers the man ran through their yards, according to the report.
The 6-foot, 225-pound man ignored deputies’ requests to stop, yelling “(expletive) you!” before he eventually ended up on the ground out of breath.
Howard faces charges of several counts of burglary, assault on an officer, fleeing and eluding, damaging property, possession of drug equipment among other charges.
Starting in 1993, he was arrested for burglary, and continued on to more violent crimes like battery in Palm Beach County. He has several open cases starting in December 2014 involving several counts of grand theft. Howard does not appear to have served time in prison, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
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