An 88-year-old Okeechobee County veteran was found dead in what investigators immediately suspected was a homicide, leading to the arrest of his 35-year-old grandson in Indian River County after a stolen vehicle alert helped authorities track his movements, officials said.
Earl Douglas Wadlington III was arrested after Indian River County deputies encountered him early Tuesday morning, according to Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Michael Hazellief and Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers. Homicide charges against Wadlington remain pending as the investigation continues.
The case began Monday when the victim's daughter-in-law contacted law enforcement after she had not seen or spoken with Paul Eugene Baker for several days. She went to check on the longtime Okeechobee County resident and found his home in disarray, Hazellief said.
After obtaining a search warrant, investigators found Baker dead on the property. Hazellief said the circumstances and location in which Baker was found indicated a homicide. Investigators also discovered that property and Baker's only vehicle were missing.
Baker had recently allowed his grandson, Wadlington, to live with him, Hazellief said. The victim's daughter-in-law, who was his power of attorney, provided information that helped investigators identify the vehicle as stolen and enter it into an automated license plate reader system.
The vehicle had left the area earlier that day, but authorities kept an alert active identifying it as stolen and noting that its driver was a suspect or person of interest in a homicide, Hazellief said.
The vehicle was later detected by a license plate reader camera in Indian River County, prompting authorities there to respond.
“This is a wanted murder suspect that's here in Indian River County. We don't know why, but we ended it here in Indian River County,” Flowers said.
Flowers said Indian River County deputies encountered Wadlington during the overnight hours and pursued him through a Walmart parking lot around 4 a.m. Deputies deployed stop sticks, and Wadlington eventually left the vehicle and ran, according to Flowers. The truck was expected to stop running after the stop sticks were deployed.
Flowers credited deputies and the Sebastian Police Department with helping apprehend the suspect.
“The other officer that was there right beside our folks the entire time was Sebastian,” Flowers said. “That shows you it doesn't matter if the uniform is green or blue. It doesn't matter what color it is. We're all going to go after the bad guys.”
Hazellief credited Senior Detective Ashley Rojas and her team with advancing the homicide investigation. He also thanked the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, Sebastian Police Department and other agencies that assisted.
The case also highlighted the role of automated license plate reader technology, known as Flock, in helping investigators locate the vehicle.
Hazellief said Okeechobee County had been required to remove Flock cameras from state roads after direction from the Florida Department of Transportation, but cameras in locations not covered by that requirement remained in place and helped investigators move the case forward.
Flowers defended the technology, saying it had helped deputies locate a wanted homicide suspect. He also acknowledged concerns about its use and said his agency was investigating allegations of improper use by some personnel.
“I'm going to be in front of you in the near future to talk to you about improper usage of Flock,” Flowers said. “We're going to hold folks accountable when they use it improperly.”
Flowers said he plans to work with state lawmakers during the next legislative session to establish additional safeguards for the technology.
“We're going to make sure and we're going to work with our legislature over the next session that comes up and hopefully we're going to find some good guardrails for this system to ensure that the public feels comfortable and safe with this system knowing that we're being held accountable for its usage,” he said.
Hazellief said the homicide investigation remains active and that authorities could not release additional details at this time. Investigators are continuing to pursue charges related to Baker's death.