Main Menu

Pasco Murder Suspect Captured in Citrus County

Taylor Jace Contino | Pasco Sheriff | Arrests

He was hiding in the trunk of a car, Citrus deputies said.

CITRUS COUNTY – A Hudson man wanted for murder in Pasco County was captured when he was found hiding in the trunk of a car during a traffic stop, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.

Taylor Jace Contino, 20, of Hudson, was arrested on the warrant on the original charge of homicide and booked into Citrus County jail. Details of the charge were not readily available.

Citrus deputies said that, at about 3 p.m. Friday (Feb. 15), the sheriff’s department received a call from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office saying that a vehicle traveling from Levy County, heading south on U.S. 19 was believed to have a wanted homicide suspect inside. Equipped with this information, deputies staged near the possible route of travel.

When the car entered Citrus County, a CCSO detective identified it and radioed for backup. The department’s aviation unit kept track of it as the car traveled south on U.S. 19.

As the car made its way into Homosassa, just north of the McDonald’s at 3740 S Suncoast Blvd., patrol units devised a plan to intercept it. After it entered heavy traffic in the construction area on U.S. 19, deputies stopped the car.

Deputies spoke with the juvenile girl who was driving and her passenger, another juvenile girl. Deputies said they told the two of the reason for the stop and got their permission to search the car. Deputies said they found Contino hiding in the trunk.

“If you think you can elude authorities by coming into Citrus County, you are sadly mistaken. Our deputies work seamlessly with our counterparts from other counties,” Citrus Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. “What happened today was a perfect example of teamwork with our sheriff’s office and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. From the moment we were notified of this homicide suspect entering our county, to the final moment of our deputies placing this individual under arrest, public safety was our priority.”

Photo is a 2018 mugshot of Taylor Jace Contino. Courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

Citrus Sheriff | Pasco Sheriff | Crime | Murder | Arrests | Tampabay News

#CitrusSheriff #PascoSheriff #Crime #Murder #Arrests #TampabayNews