Man Who Fled Zombies Pleads Guilty: Jerimiah Hartline, 19, Stole Big-Rig Full Of Strawberries, Had Police Chase Him

According to reports, 19-year-old Jerimiah Hartline, from Tennessee, holed up in a tractor-trailer bound for the West Coast. When the driver of the big-rig reached a weigh station in Temecula, Calif., on April 6, Hartline took the opportunity to commandeer the vehicle and sped off down Interstate 15.

In the process, he caused a number of car wrecks and injured seven people. He eventually crashed the vehicle, which overturned, spilling its load of strawberries. Fortunately, no one was killed in the incident.

The strawberries even survived the terrifying ordeal, and the unspoiled produce was donated to local food pantries and nonprofits, U-T San Diego reports.

When police finally caught up to and apprehended Hartline, he had a strange motive to give for his reckless big-rig maneuvers: he said he had to dislodge the zombies that clung to the side of the trailer.

"Hartline swerved the truck side to side to shake the zombies off," local Officer Nate Baer told The Mirror back in April.

According to Baer, Hartline was apparently under the influence of a hallucinatory substance when he believed he had to flee zombies.

Hartline accepted a deal from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, pleading guilty to three counts and one allegation of causing great bodily injury, the San Diego Union Tribune reported. Prosecutors dismissed four charges, including the one for reckless driving.

District Attorney's Office spokesman John Hall said Hartline could face up to five years in prison. He is scheduled for sentencing June 24.

Hartline pleaded guilty on Monday to assault with a deadly weapon, vehicle theft and a hit-and-run charge following a plea deal. He faces up to five years in jail.