WALTON COUNTY, FL - 7.5-Hours southeast of Middle Tennessee in Florida and just two days after Christmas, Walton County Sheriff's Deputies say the suspect was driving the wrong direction on a busy highway and came dangerously close to a head-on collision with a patrol vehicle. According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, a 9-1-1 call was placed around 1:30 a.m. reporting a vehicle traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Highway 98—meaning the driver was heading away from the direction of Destin while on the wrong side of the roadway.
Moments after the call came in, a deputy spotted a black Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible bearing down and heading east on the highway near Old Blue Mountain Road. Authorities, along with area news agencies, suggested the deputy had only seconds to react and was forced to swerve out of the way to avoid a collision with the oncoming headlights. The deputy immediately made a quick U-turn, activated emergency lights, and accelerated in an effort to catch up with the suspect vehicle.
The driver eventually stopped near Veterans Road and Highway 98, approximately 2.5 miles from where the deputy first encountered the vehicle. Officials reported there was no damage to either the patrol car or the suspect’s vehicle.
Deputies identified the driver as Timothy Galvin, a 62-year-old man from Hendersonville, Tennessee. Evidently, the Sumner County man was taken into custody during the early morning hours of Saturday, December 27, 2025. Galvin was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, and refusing to submit to a DUI test.
He was booked into the Walton County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 2:30 a.m. and released at approximately 11:40 a.m. the same morning.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
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