Jeremiah Baxter was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail after a Florida Highway Patrol stop on I-95 near Boynton Beach escalated into an arrest. Troopers say the 29-year-old kept driving after they activated their lights and siren, with a 3-year-old child in the truck.
The stop began after a caller told the Lake Worth Regional Communications Center that a black Dodge Ram was swerving, running without headlights and being driven by someone who appeared to be drinking and using a phone. A trooper later saw the truck heading north without headlights or taillights and following another vehicle too closely, then watched it continue at about 40 mph in a 65-mph zone after the patrol car’s lights and siren came on.
Baxter eventually moved onto the shoulder, but even then he did not stop right away. Troopers said a public address speaker was used to order him to pull over, and when a second trooper moved in front of the truck, he finally stopped. The first trooper drew a firearm and repeatedly ordered Baxter to show his hands, and troopers say he refused commands to show his hands and get out of the truck before resisting as they removed and handcuffed him.
What made the stop more than a routine traffic case was what was inside the truck. Baxter shouted that his daughter was there, and troopers confirmed the 3-year-old was in a car seat in the rear passenger-side seat. The child’s mother arrived and took custody of her after the stop. During an inventory search, troopers say they found two bags containing a total of 2.7 grams of marijuana in a backpack, along with pre-rolled tips. Field tests were positive for marijuana.
Troopers also reported a slight odor of alcohol on Baxter’s breath, but said there were no other signs of impairment and did not pursue a DUI case. No alcoholic beverages were found in the truck. Baxter told troopers he had not been drinking, and he said he delayed stopping because he was on the phone and adjusting a neck pillow around his daughter.
He now faces four misdemeanor charges and a civil traffic citation for driving at night without headlights or taillights. The arrest report does not set out any court date or next legal step, leaving the immediate consequence clear: Baxter is jailed, the child is with her mother, and the case now turns from a roadside stop into the kind of criminal process that begins long after the flashing lights go dark.
