Trooper Bruce MacWhorter

Trooper Bruce MacWhorter responded to a call on I-75 in Sarasota County in an attempt to locate a reported reckless driver. According to a caller, the driver had exited I-75 and driven into a gas station parking lot. Trooper MacWhorter found the vehicle and made contact with the driver. He noticed a young child sitting in the rear seat of the vehicle. Trooper MacWhorter checked the ID of the driver and discovered that his license was suspended in his home state of South Carolina. The vehicle registration was also suspended. Trooper MacWhorter explained to the driver that he could no longer drive the vehicle and asked him for contact information for someone who could assist him in leaving the area.

When Trooper MacWhorter called the contact person he was given, he learned that she was at the Lee County Sheriff's Office reporting her daughter as a missing child. She stated that the child had been kidnapped by her non custodial father. Trooper MacWhorter immediately arrested the driver and charged him with kidnapping. The child was later returned to the mother unharmed. The driver was charged with kidnapping and has been booked into the Sarasota County Jail. The driver’s vehicle has been seized, pending forfeiture review.