HOLT, Fla., Feb. 12, 2024—A Crestview man who was on the run in recent weeks was captured in Baker yesterday.

James Woodward Allen, 39, had numerous outstanding warrants and managed to evade capture twice while in Holt.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies learned Allen was working on a vehicle outside a home on Griffith Cemetery Road in Baker. Upon seeing uniformed deputies, he ran into the woods.

A perimeter was set up where Allen was hiding in the tree line. An OCSO K-9 began a track and Allen was spotted. He was apprehended after being unable to outrun the K-9.

Allen was served warrants on 12 separate charges and received an additional count of resisting arrest. These included:

• failure to appear for domestic violence battery with strangulation
• cocaine possession
• two counts of domestic-violence-related aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill
• two counts of burglary with assault and battery
• two counts of fleeing and eluding
• multiple counts of resisting an officer without violence
• failure to register a motor vehicle
• driving with a suspended license
• violating a pre-trial release condition
• driving with a suspended license
• failure to register a motor vehicle
• no insurance

An attempt to arrest Allen was made in Holt earlier this month, but he eluded capture both times.

Sheriff’s deputies saw him driving while pulling a trailer in the area Jan. 31, but he refused to stop. He bailed from the vehicle and ran into the surrounding woods near Log Lake Road and Sundance Way.

A K-9 tracked Allen through the woods and found his shirt and fresh footprints, but he wasn’t located.

He was spotted again Feb. 5, but again escaped into the woods.

In addition to today’s charges, Allen was arrested in 2023 for domestic battery by strangulation and in 2021 for resisting arrest, fraud and probation violation.

He is being held without bond at the Okaloosa County Jail.

Staff and OCSO news release