Florida murder suspect held on $2m cash bond, human remains under investigation: report
A man found driving a missing Lyft driver’s car from Florida is being held on $2 million cash bail in North Carolina, according to a report.
Matthew Scott Flores, 35, appeared in a Rutherford County courtroom Friday morning, WPEC reports. He asked the judge if he could get out of jail if he paid the $2 million bail, which the judge later changed to cash.
Last Thursday, authorities in North Carolina captured Flores following a high-speed chase through several western counties in the state after receiving an alert that he might be in the area. Wauchula police had been looking for Flores since at least January 24 in connection with the shooting death of Jose Carlos Martinez.
Flores is facing a second degree murder charge in Martinez’s murder.
FLORIDA MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED IN LYFT DRIVER’S MISSING CAR AFTER NORTH CAROLINA POLICE CHASE
Police say Matthew Flores was hospitalized after a high-speed chase through three counties in North Carolina on Thursday. (Wauchula Police)
Police also arrested and charged Stephanie Velgara with being an afterthought complicit in the murder, allegedly helping Flores flee law enforcement. Flores is due back in court on February 22.
Meanwhile, Lyft driver Gary Levin, 74, of Palm Beach Gardens, has not been in contact with his family since last month. He is still considered missing, although human remains were found on Saturday in a wooded area about two miles from where his phone last rang.
TYLER DOYLE MISSING: SEARCH FOR SOUTH CAROLINA DUCK HUNTER WHO WASHED OVERBOARD ENTERS 11TH DAY
Palm Beach Gardens Lyft driver Gary Levin, left and center, has not been heard from since Jan. 30. North Carolina police arrested murder suspect Matthew Scott Flores in Levin’s car on Thursday, Feb. 2, according to authorities and Levin’s family. (Palm Beach Gardens Police, Wauchula Police)
The remains have not yet been identified.
The car Flores destroyed, a red 2022 Kia Stinger, belongs to Levin.
Levin’s daughter, Lindsay DiBetta, first revealed the connection on Facebook Friday morning.
DiBetta told Fox News Digital the family is still focused on finding her father.
“[We’re] hoping the guy driving the car says where he got it, so we can find my dad,” she said.
Palm Beach Gardens Police are asking anyone with information about Gary Levin’s disappearance to contact them. (Palm Beach Gardens Police)
Levin has been “unreachable” since Jan. 30, according to Palm Beach Gardens police.
His car was spotted in Gainesville on Feb. 1, a day before Flores was arrested and about 400 miles from the North Carolina state line.
DiBetta says her dad last used his phone in the Okeechobee area around 4 p.m. on Jan. 30.
Gary Levin smiles on vacation in a 2020 photo shared on his Facebook page. (Gary Levin/Facebook)
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“If he’s somewhere, it’s over there,” she said. “We can’t wait for answers and a court date. If my father is there, we need to know.”
Levin is described as a white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds.
Anyone with any whereabouts information is asked to contact the Palm Beach Gardens police at 561-799-4445.
Michael Ruiz of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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