Released jail inmate steals SUV, leads Monroe County chase

A man walked out of Monroe County jail and, within minutes, allegedly turned the Plantation Key Courthouse parking lot into the start of a chase that stretched down U.S. 1. The fast sequence put a spotlight on security around the courthouse lot, where vehicles, staff and visitors are left exposed to whatever happens after a release.

Investigators said Jefry Julian Chaucanes Vasquez, 23, of Miami Gardens, was released on June 12 and then went into the Plantation Key Courthouse parking lot. Before stealing the Ford SUV, authorities said he burglarized another vehicle there and took an iPhone charger. He then drove off in the Ford, setting off a response that quickly drew in the Florida Highway Patrol and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

The incident began around 5 p.m. Friday, June 12, when Monroe County deputies were told that Florida Highway Patrol was already pursuing the stolen SUV after it fled a reckless-driving traffic stop near Mile Marker 83 on U.S. 1. Troopers eventually stopped the Ford near Mile Marker 61 and took Chaucanes Vasquez back into custody. Authorities said no serious injuries were reported.

The case landed only days after Chaucanes Vasquez had been arrested on June 9 following another pursuit on U.S. 1, where deputies said he reached speeds of up to 125 mph. In that earlier arrest, he was charged with DUI, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, dangerous or excessive speeding, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Monroe County deputies charged him in the June 12 case with theft and burglary of an unoccupied vehicle. Florida Highway Patrol also filed additional charges tied to the stolen Ford and the chase. The episode underscored how quickly a release from custody can spill into a new threat for people working at or visiting the Plantation Key Government Center, which sits along the Overseas Highway corridor that carries daily traffic and serves as a key evacuation route for the Florida Keys.

The Florida Department of Transportation has identified U.S. 1 in Monroe County for safety and mobility work under the Keys COAST corridor project, a reminder that the same roadway used for daily travel and hurricane evacuation is also where law enforcement had to shut down another dangerous run within hours of a courthouse theft.