Palm City Hit-and-Run Suspect Caught After Two-Hour Swamp Manhunt Near St. Lucie Line

A hit-and-run suspect who bolted from his car near a gated Palm City subdivision ended up trapped in a swamp near the Martin-St. Lucie county line, where deputies needed more than two hours, multiple K-9 units and help from a state wildlife agency to finally take him into custody. The Martin County Sheriff's Office identified the man as 39-year-old Likenson Daceus of Fort Pierce.

According to the WPBF 25 report on the incident, deputies said the hit-and-run occurred near Southwest Rivers End Way in Palm City. The suspect was last seen running westbound into the Windstone community, per the sheriff's office, before disappearing into the surrounding wetlands.

A Swamp Sits Right Behind the Gates

The Windstone neighborhood, formerly known as Rivers End, is a private gated subdivision bordered by nature preserves and water bodies, according to NV Realty Group. That geography explains how a suspect fleeing on foot from a residential street could vanish into miles of thick, swampy terrain within minutes rather than staying trapped inside a fenced community.

Deputies described the man they were chasing as a Black man wearing a black shirt with blue writing on the back and black pants, per the sheriff's office. The search stretched across the swamp for more than two hours, the department said, before the same agency announced Wednesday that the suspect had been taken into custody.

Multiple Agencies Joined the Perimeter Hunt

Martin County Sheriff's Office deployed multiple K-9 units along with aviation, drone and K-9 resources to establish a large perimeter around the search area. The Port St. Lucie Police Department also assisted, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers joined the effort as well.

Pairing sheriff's K-9 and air assets with FWC wildlife officers is a familiar law enforcement protocol whenever a suspect runs into Florida's wetlands, since FWC officers regularly bring specialized vessels and swamp-tracking expertise that local deputies don't typically carry, according to a Facebook post documenting the search. Daceus is now in law enforcement custody, per the sheriff's office.

A Record With Prior Local Arrests

Daceus has previous law enforcement contact in neighboring St. Lucie County. In January 2018, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office arrested him following a search warrant at a Fort Pierce motel, charging him with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, simple possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Jail booking records also show a separate arrest in St. Lucie County on August 17, 2020, connected to an alleged traffic offense.

What Charges Could Follow

It remains unclear exactly what charges Daceus will face, since the severity depends on whether the original crash caused only property damage or involved an injury — a detail investigators have not yet disclosed. Under Florida Statute § 316.061, leaving the scene of a crash involving solely property damage is a second-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to Florida law.

If the crash caused personal injury, the charge escalates sharply. Florida Statute § 316.027 makes leaving the scene of a crash involving personal injury a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, with even higher felony degrees possible if investigators confirm serious bodily injury or death occurred, per legal statutes cited by Jeff T. Gorman Law Offices. The exact nature of the original collision and whether anyone was hurt remain open questions pending a formal charging decision.

A Persistent Problem on Florida Roads

Hit-and-run crashes remain a stubborn issue statewide even as the numbers trend downward. Florida recorded 92,381 hit-and-run crashes in 2025, a 5.7 percent drop from 97,999 the year before, according to data compiled by Swope, Rodante PA. Hit-and-run fatalities also fell, from 242 in 2024 to 180 in 2025, a 25.6 percent decrease.

Even with those declines, roughly a quarter of all motor vehicle collisions statewide involve a driver leaving the scene, according to estimates cited by Lorenzo & Lorenzo. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles runs an annual Stay at the Scene public education campaign every February aimed at reminding drivers of the legal consequences of fleeing a crash.

This is a developing story, and Hoodline will update it as the Martin County Sheriff's Office releases additional details about the charges Daceus faces.