Crime & Safety

Land O' Lakes Man Bonds Out After Fiery Crash, Unsucessful Run From Deputies

Donald Ward was released from jail after posting $2,000 bond.

This story was reported and written by Local Editor Linda Chion Kenney.

Update (9 a.m. Monday):
Ward was released after posting $2,000 bond, according to sheriff's office records. 

Original story:
A Valrico woman reportedly is in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital after a crash in Brandon that caused her car to catch fire and from which the other driver fled the scene on foot, only to surrender in a nearby retention pond after his hand was bitten by a K-9 deputy dog giving chase.

The July 27 accident occurred at about 11:28 p.m., when Anne Marie Fanning, 22, of 2617 Dewberry Street, was driving eastbound on the Brandon Parkway extension. There, she was struck by Donald Ward, 38, of 4736 School Road in Land O' Lakes, who was driving southbound on Providence Road and failed to stop at the stop sign, according to a report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO).

In his 2007 GMC Envoy, Ward reportedly was traveling about 45mph when he crossed the westbound lanes and struck both the raised median and Fanning's 2003 Mazda 4-door.

"Fanning's vehicle caught fire and HCSO patrol units used six fire extinguishers
to keep the fire from spreading to the cab of the Mazda until Hillsborough [County Fire Rescue] arrived at the scene," according to the report.  

A deputy and his deputy dog, K-9 Deuce, supported by an air patrol, reportedly gave chase after Ward fled south from the scene "to a retention pond that was surrounded by thick brush." The pilot saw Ward "at the edge of the pond, hiding under the brush and vines" and reported the sighting to the deputy and his canine.

"As Ward jumped into the water, K-9 Deuce grabbed his hand, but was unable to hold him," the report notes. "Ward swam under water to the middle of the pond, but quickly surrendered when he surfaced."

The report also notes that Ward was treated at the scene for minor injuries to his hand and that he "refused to submit to any field sobriety tests." Also, that he was arrested and charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Injury and that "BAC and further charges are pending toxicology results." 


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