By Tiffany Walden
Orlando Sentinel
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities released footage of the two sweethearts who used an earring to attempt escape while handcuffed in the back of a Seminole County Sheriff’s patrol car.
Burglary suspect Jonathan Kokontis, 25, tried to use his girlfriend’s earring to unlock the handcuffs. He eventually hit a deputy and ran away from the patrol car, the video shows.
His girlfriend, Melissa Elaine Schneider, 27, remained handcuffed and watched the misadventure unfold.
Kokontis eventually tried to steal a car that wouldn’t start while a police dog’s teeth were clamped to his arm, according to the sheriff’s office.
Kokontis, a two-time ex-convict from Winter Springs, is still in Seminole County jail on a long list of charges, including burglary, escape and robbery.
Schneider has since bonded out of jail.
They were originally arrested after residents called deputies to report someone rummaging through their vehicles near U.S. Highway 17-92 in Fern Park.
Copyright 2014 The Orlando Sentinel