DeFuniak man charged with shooting Holmes County deputy

A man who fired several rounds of buckshot into a sheriff's deputy's head is in jail on attempted murder charges after a chase and manhunt Friday night.

Matthew Olin Bryan, 35, of DeFuniak Springs, also is charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Holmes County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Michael Raley was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released from Doctor's Memorial Hospital in Bonifay.

Raley had been patrolling west Holmes County late Friday after a burglary when he spotted a "suspicious pickup truck with a lawn mower in the back," Holmes County Sheriff Dennis Lee said

Raley stopped the vehicle and identified Bryan as the driver.

But during the traffic stop, Bryan sped away. Raley pursued, and during the chase Bryan began firing at him with a 12-gauge shotgun.

Buckshot penetrated Raley's windshield and struck him in the head, but he did manage to return fire.

Bryan wasn't hit, said Holmes County Sheriff's Maj. Harry Hamilton.

Later Friday, Walton County sheriff's deputies spotted Bryan driving back to his home west of DeFuniak Springs.

They attempted a traffic stop, but said Bryan grabbed his shotgun and fled into surrounding woods.

Deputies from Holmes and Walton counties, Walton County Jail tracking teams and Florida Highway Patrol troopers followed Bryan to a nearby residence - his parents' - and arrested him without incident.

Bryan was being held Saturday at the Walton County Jail.

His record includes past convictions for fleeing law enforcement at high speed, resisting an officer with violence and drug possession.

He served six months in state prison before his release in 2000, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.