Pensacola man arrested after threat with machete, escape from window and chase with girlfriend

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A Pensacola man is in jail after threatening victims with a machete, jumping through a window to escape officers and later trying to escape with the help of his girlfriend, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said. He made the alleged threat Sunday and was caught Monday.

According to the sheriff's office, 39-year-old Roderick Vernell Lewis is charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting an officer without the use of violence and possession of marijuana.

According to a report, officers were called to a custody dispute near Empire Dr. on Sunday. The victims claim Lewis got out after pulling up in a Jeep with a machete in his hand and threatened them. He left immediately afterward.

The sheriff's office said officers found Lewis at his girlfriend's home near Dover Avenue. While Lewis was being arrested, he threw himself out a glass window to escape from officers. He was nowhere to be found when officers searched for him. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

According to a report, a deputy saw Lewis' Jeep traveling eastbound on Michigan from Memphis Avenue around 1 p.m. Monday. Lewis' girlfriend, Crystal Sorrell, 41, was driving while he was in the passenger seat. The deputy tried to get Sorrell to stop the Jeep, but she did not and accelerated to 70 mph.

Officers stated that a PIT maneuver was performed at the corner of Michigan and Clearwater Ave. When the Jeep came to a stop, Lewis continued to run. However, officers caught Lewis in the backyard of a home on Fremont Ave.

Sorrell was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding, according to the sheriff's office. She is now free after posting $5,000 bail.

Lewis was examined at the hospital for his injuries and is being held in the Escambia County Jail on $13,000 bail.