MARTIN COUNTY — A Fort Pierce man who walked away from a crash on Southeast Commerce Avenue and was later picked up by police and brought to a hospital for treatment of injuries, has been jailed, after police said he was verbally abusive to hospital staff and escaped handcuffs, running to a hospital exit before being caught.
Dillon Richard Lohr, 28, of the 100 block of Laidback Way in Fort Pierce, faces a host of charges, including resisting arrest, leaving a crash with injuries, DUI and escape, according to his July 8 arrest affidavit.
An Audi SUV involved in a head-on collision on Southeast Commerce Avenue in Stuart on July 8, 2025. The man and the woman in the car are both expected to make a full recovery, according to Martin County sheriff’s officials.
Deputies responded to a crash in the 4400 block of Southeast Commerce Avenue in Stuart on July 8. They found a 2018 gray Audi SUV with significant front-end damage and a white pickup truck with the front passenger side wheel shifted into the truck, according to the affidavit.
Martin County Fire Rescue arrived and treated the passenger of the Audi before taking her to Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital in Stuart.
The man driving the Audi told deputies he was heading south on Southeast Commerce Avenue when he saw the pickup truck driving north and lose control while going around a curve. He tried to avoid hitting the pickup but was unsuccessful and there was a head-on collision.
A witness who heard the crash said when he got to the scene he saw a man get out of the driver’s seat of the pickup and start walking north, according to the affidavit.
Deputies found the man, later identified as Lohr, told him to stop, and eventually detained him and put him in the back of their patrol vehicle.
The man and the woman in the Audi SUV are expected to make a full recovery, Martin County sheriff’s officials stated on social media.
At the Martin County Jail, a deputy said he noticed Lohr had blood-shot eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol, according to the arrest affidavit. In an interview, Lohr said someone else was driving his truck when it crashed and he ran away afterward because he was on probation.
Lohr was asked is he would be willing to do a series of field sobriety exercises, and he agreed. During the exercises Lohr stated he wanted to speak with a lawyer, repeatedly talked over the deputy, and yelled at the deputy, according to the arrest affidavit.
Lohr was transported to Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital for treatment of injuries from the crash, and was verbally abusive to the staff while there, according to the affidavit. He was handcuffed to his hospital bed, but broke the metal support post and ran from the room toward an exit.
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Deputies chased and captured Lohr and put him in hand restraints before taking him back to the room. He was medically cleared and taken back to the Martin County Jail, according to his arrest affidavit. He’s charged with:
Two counts of failure to remain on scene of a crash involving injury other than serious bodily injury
Two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property
Resisting arrest without violence
Four counts of driving under the influence with damage to property or person
Driving with an expired license for more than six months
Giving false information or reports to police
Criminal mischief less than $1000 first offense
He is in jail on $136,000 bond.
Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Man involved in crash faces charges including leaving scene, escape