MIDDLEBURG – According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, what started as an investigation into a garage break-in on Nov. 24 quickly escalated into a chase that ended up with him being caught wearing only his underwear.

Brett Tyler Watson, 23, of Middleburg, was spotted driving a pick-up truck on Everett Avenue that matched the description of a truck that fled from a previous traffic stop. The deputy said Watson crossed over the double-yellow line twice at a high rate of speed. He turned on his emergency lights and siren, but Watson continued onto Banks Road and Cotton Gin Court, where he stopped at the end of the cul de sac. He ran into a swampy wooded area. A deputy found a pair of muddy blue jeans behind a house on the same street.

CCSO then got a call about a break-in on Cotton Gin Court. Deputies found a window screen on the ground. They found Watson hiding in the rafters when they entered the unoccupied garage. He told deputies he was cold and was trying to hide from law enforcement.

According to the arrest report, Watson told a deputy that he ran because his license was suspended. He also was charged with two counts of battery on law enforcement, resisting law enforcement, driving with an open container of alcohol, speeding, running a stop sign, attempting to flee from law enforcement with lights and siren active and no proof of insurance.

His bond was set at $117,523.