A man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for stealing the vehicle of an elderly victim and leading law officers on a high speed chase, according to the state attorney's office.
Okaloosa County Circuit Judge John Brown sentenced Brandon Stocker on charges of robbery, attempted burglary with a weapon, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and felony driving while license suspended.
Stocker was classified as a habitual felony offender and a prison releasee reoffender. That requires a 15-year minimum mandatory sentence be served.
On March 8, 2012, Armed with two knives, Stocker got into a car at a Tom Thumb store on Okaloosa Island on March 8, 2012. He ordered the elderly victim out of the car and drove away.
Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies were contacted and located the car within minutes. Stocker then led them on a high-speed chase on U.S. Highway 98 to Destin, where he was caught at a home on Main Street.
