Man sentenced to prison after multi-county chase that began in Manatee County
A Sarasota man will spend the next decade in federal prison after leading Manatee County deputies on a chase across multiple counties, prosecutors said.
A federal judge sentenced 30-year-old Victor Lamar Orr to 10 years in prison for drug and firearm offenses stemming from two incidents, including a 2022 chase that began when he fled from a Manatee County deputy during a narcotics investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
In May 2022, a deputy with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office tried to stop Orr’s vehicle during a narcotics surveillance operation, when prosecutors said Orr sped away, running red lights and passing other drivers on the shoulder and in oncoming traffic. He drove into Sarasota, back into Manatee County, then east to DeSoto County and south to Charlotte County, where investigators said the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit tracked his vehicle from above.
Orr pleaded guilty in November to possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, prosecutors said. He had four prior convictions for fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, according to a news release.
Orr made several evasive maneuvers during the chase, including driving through a yard, circling a house and crossing a highway median to avoid stop sticks, prosecutors said. Near State Road 31 in Punta Gorda, he pulled into a field and threw a backpack from the vehicle, according to court documents.
Charlotte County deputies recovered the bag and found a Glock pistol, fentanyl, methamphetamine, oxycodone pills and a digital scale, according to federal prosecutors. Investigators said DNA analysis later linked Orr to the firearm.
In August 2022, the Sarasota aviation unit and Manatee investigators said they saw Orr again while conducting surveillance during a drug investigation. They tracked a pickup truck Orr was driving with three passengers to a clothing store, prosecutors said.
When the group returned to the truck, deputies moved in and arrested them. Inside the vehicle, deputies said they found two more firearms and a bag containing cocaine and other controlled substances. Prosecutors said DNA testing again tied Orr to one of the guns.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with the Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte County sheriff’s offices.
