NEWS
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July 27, 2010
Strong
Armed Robbery at ARC Facility
On
Wednesday, July 27th at approximately 9:53 AM, one suspects entered the
office area of the ARC facility located at 2301 Husson Avenue. The suspect
forced a woman in the office to the floor and demanded money. They took an
undisclosed amount of cash and fled from the building. The suspect was
described as a black male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, thin build wearing a red
t-shirt, black stone washed jeans (oversized) and white dirty tennis shoes.
The suspect was also wearing a black and red ski mask and black cloth
gloves. The suspect was believed to be armed with a handgun. The victim, a
53 year old female received minor injuries during the robbery. Officers
responded to area and searched for possible suspects. Officer Mike Meredith
observed a man in a vehicle matching the description of the suspect near
Oleander Drive. The officer turned around to check on the subject and he
fled in the vehicle. The officer called for assistance and pursued the
vehicle. Other officers including Florida Highway Patrol assisted in trying
to stop the vehicle. The vehicle fled to the area of West Oak Hill Drive
where it ran into a wall. The occupants fled on foot. Officers attempted to
locate the suspects. They were successful in locating 2 of the persons in
the vehicle. One subject was not located. The occupants of the vehicle are
being considered as possible suspects in the robbery, but no charges have
been filed. The third subject who fled from the vehicle has been identified
as Alton Clark, age 22 of Palatka. He is wanted for aggravated fleeing and
attempting to elude a police officer.
July 26, 2010
Drug
Operation Results in Numerous Arrests
On Friday,
July 23rd, the Palatka Police Department Street Crimes Unit executed a
search warrant at a residence located at 809 Bronson Street. The officers
located crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia in the residence. Three persons
were arrested. Rodney Graham, age 35 was arrested for possession of cocaine
with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. Koscina Dennis,
age 33 was arrested for possession of cocaine with intent to sell and
possession of drug paraphernalia. Deloris Major, age 34 was arrested for
possession of cocaine with intent to sell and possession of drug
paraphernalia. All three were booked into the Putnam County Jail. After the
search warrant was completed, the officers set up a reverse drug sale
operation at the location. An officer posing as a drug dealer sold illegal
drugs to persons coming to the location to buy drugs. At approximately 7:45
PM, a man and a woman arrived at the location in a vehicle. The man exited
the vehicle and made contact with the undercover officer. The man purchased
crack cocaine from the officer. The man got back in the vehicle and they
drove off. They were stopped a short distance away and taken into custody
for purchase of crack cocaine and tampering with evidence. The man was
identified as Hank Croslin, age 41 of Palatka. The woman was identified as
Lisa Croslin, age 47 of Palatka. It was found that they were both on felony
probation. They were booked into the Putnam County Jail with no bond. At
approximately 8 PM, a man drove to the location on a bicycle. He made
contact with the officer and purchased crack cocaine. The man was stopped as
he began to leave and taken into custody for purchase of crack cocaine. He
was identified as Eddie Brown, age 63 of Palatka. He was booked into the
Putnam county Jail, bond set at $5004.00 At approximately 10:40 PM a man and
woman arrived at the location in a vehicle. The woman exited the vehicle,
made contact with the officer and purchased crack cocaine. She got back in
the vehicle and they drove off. They were stopped a short distance away and
taken into custody for purchase of crack cocaine and tampering with
evidence. The woman was identified as Diane White, age 53 of Palatka. The
man was identified as Leslie Mann, age 44 of Daytona Beach. They were both
booked into the Putnam County Jail, White’s bond at $6008.00 and Mann’s bond
at $3508.00. One other arrest took place during the operation. During the
operation, a woman came to the residence and began harassing the officers,
interfering with the operation. She was identified as Viola Major, age 34 of
Palatka. She was arrested for an outstanding warrant, resisting an officer
without violence and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked into
the Putnam County Jail, bond set at $4012.00.
June 14,
2010
Man
Reports Being Defrauded by a Mystery Shopper Scam
On Monday,
June 14th officers took a report from a local man who stated that he was
defrauded in a mystery shopper scam. The victim explained that he applied to
become a mystery shopper on line. Several days later he received a letter
from a company identifying itself as Arista Builders LLC asking that he
provide some information. He did so and then a check for $3,995.00 came in
the mail. He was instructed to deposit the check in his bank account and
mail back a money order for a lesser amount of money. The money order was
sent to Spain. After mailing out the money order, the victim learned from
his bank that the check he originally deposited was not valid. The Palatka
Police Department urges everyone to be very careful and if you are the least
bit suspicious of a financial transaction, contact someone you trust to
verify that it is legitimate.
June 14,
2010
Man
Arrested for Exposing Himself to Persons Driving Past His Home
At
approximately 1:30 PM, Monday, June 14th officers arrested a
local man identified as Devon Brown age 22 for Lewd and Lascivious Acts.
According to the report, officers first responded to the 800 block of Oak
Street at approximately 8:45 AM, Monday because of a man exposing his sexual
organs in full view of people while they drove by a house in that area.
Officer Scott Mast responded first and saw a subject matching the
description given, but the suspect ran and avoided capture. Later in the
day, around 1:15 PM officers were dispatched again to the same area due to
another caller reporting a man exposing his sexual organs in full view of
persons in the area. Officers saw the suspect near the front porch of a
residence as they arrived. The suspect ran, but officers located him
approximately one block away. Devon Brown was charged with three (3) counts
of exposing his sexual organs in public and one count of providing a false
name.
June 14, 2010
Citizens Chase Down and Capture Purse
Snatcher
At approximately 10:57 PM, Friday June 11th, a
41 year old woman exited Walmart and started putting her groceries in her
car. As she was doing this, a man came up behind her and snatched her purse
from her shopping cart. The man ran toward State Road 19. Several people in
the parking lot heard the woman yell for the man to stop and noticed the
suspect running. Two men and one juvenile ran after the man. The juvenile,
identified as Nicholos Johnson, age 17 saw the man throw the purse as he
fled. Johnson located the purse and returned it to the woman. All three of
the men continued to chase the suspect. The other two, identified as Milton
Tyre, age 18 and Gene Sanders, age 30 were able to catch the suspect after a
short chase. The two men held the man until officers arrived and took
custody of him. The suspect was identified as John R. Wyche, age 41 of
Palatka. Wyche was arrested by Officer Luke Hughes for Grand Theft and
booked into the Putnam County Jail. No one was injured during the incident.
The Palatka Police Department thanks the three men for their concern and
quick response.
May 14, 2010
Two Arrested for Illegal Drug Charges After Traffic Stop
At approximately 12:30 AM, Friday, May 14th, Officer Alex Egan of the
Palatka Police Department stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the
area of North 17th and Bronson Street. Officer Egan made contact with the
driver and occupants. The driver was identified as Gregory Page, age 29 of
Palatka. As Officer Egan and other officers contacted the driver and
occupants they noted suspicious behavior by the driver. A K-9 search of the
vehicle was conducted by K-9 Officer Chris Sorensen and his K-9 Lara. A
subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a large number of prescription
drugs, including oxycodone, roxicodone, zanex and lprazdom pills. Officers
also located over 29 grams of cannabis and numerous items of drug
paraphernalia. The driver, Gregory Page and a passenger identified as Erica
Brin, age 27 of Keystone Heights were arrested. Page was charged with
Trafficking in Hydrocodone, possession of hydrocodone with intent to sell
and possession of cannabis over 20 grams. Erica Brin was charged with
possession of hydrocodone, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession
of cannabis under 20 grams. Both suspects were booked into the Putnam County
Jail.
April 15, 2010
Two Men Arrested for Home Invasion Robbery
that Occurred in July of 2009
On July 26th, 2009 shortly after midnight two
men reportedly broke into an occupied home located at 218 Redbud Lane. It
was reported that one of the men was armed with a shotgun and the other was
reportedly carrying a handgun. The men tied up a woman, her daughter and a
friend of the daughter. They reportedly stole money and prescription drugs
from the house. At the time of the investigation, possible suspects were
identified, but no arrests were made. Since the time of the incident,
Detective Mike Meredith of the Palatka Police Department has been conducting
a follow-up investigation. During the past months information has been
gathered that implicated two men. On Wednesday, April 14th Detective
Meredith obtained warrants for the arrest of two suspects, Michael Cooper,
age 24 of San Mateo and Aaron Cark, age 26 of Palatka. On Wednesday, April
14th, Detective Meredith located the men and took them into custody. They
were both booked into the Putnam County Jail with no bond.
April 14, 2010
Man
Arrested After Threatening Wife and Shooting Gun
At approximately 2:35 AM, Thursday morning
officers were called to a residence in the 100 block of Fernwood Street due
to gun shots. Officers met with an Elkton woman at the given address. The
woman explained that she was awakened by gun shots. She suspected that it
was her estranged husband, Antonio Adams, age 26 of Elkton. She explained
that they had been separated for a short time and he had been threatening
her and stalking her for the past few days. It was learned that a
disturbance occurred earlier on Wednesday afternoon at a local restaurant
when Adams came there to harass the woman. The woman stated that he was
possibly in a Checker Cab because that was how he got to town earlier that
day.
Officers checked the area. They spoke with
other residents in the area that reported hearing gun shots. They located
approximately fourteen (14) shell casings near the residence and one (1)
suspected bullet hole in the victim’s vehicle. The Checker Cab Company was
contacted and reported that they did have a cab in Palatka and that it was
travelling back to St. Augustine. Contact was made with the St. Johns County
Sheriff’s Office and St. Augustine Police Department requesting assistance
in locating the taxi cab and Antonio Adams.
A short time later, St. Augustine Police
Department personnel located the taxi cab and the suspect near US 1 in St.
Augustine. Adams was found in possession of handgun. He was arrested by St.
Augustine PD for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The case is being investigated by Detective
Danette Evey of the Palatka Police Department. Charges are being filed and
warrants will be sought on Antonio Adams for Aggravated Assault and unlawful
discharging of a firearm. At this time, Adams is being held in St. Johns
County Jail with no bond.
April 13, 2010
Two Juveniles Caught Burglarizing Vehicles
At approximately 12:29 AM, Tuesday, April 13th
a resident in the area of 600 North 10th Street called to report seeing two
suspects entering vehicles parked near his house. Officers of the Palatka
Police Department responded and located two juveniles near the area. Upon
seeing the officers, one of the juveniles fled. Corporal Jared Guy pursued
the suspect into a wooded area and captured him. That suspect was identified
as Hi’Keem Boles, age 15 of Palatka. The second suspect, Michael McCloud,
age 15 of Palatka was taken into custody by Sgt. Brian Hawkins of the
Palatka Police Department.
The investigation revealed that the two
suspects had entered at least two vehicles and stolen property (clothing)
from one of them. The property stolen was recovered by the officers.
McCloud was charged with Burglary of a
Conveyance, Theft and Possession of Burglary Tools. Boles was charged with
Burglary of a Conveyance, Theft, Possession of Burglary Tools and Resisting
Arrest without Violence. McCloud was turned over to Juvenile Justice
authorities. Boles was released to a guardian.
April 13, 2010
70 Year Old Man Robbed at Home
According to a report by Officer Chris Ashley
of the Palatka Police Department, a 70 year old resident in the 1700 block
of Napoleon reported that he was robbed at gunpoint in his home at
approximately 1:39 AM, Tuesday, April 13th. The man reported that he was
awakened by a knock at his door around 1:39 AM. When he answered the door,
three unidentified black males forced their way in. One of the suspects had
a silver handgun. They threatened him with the gun and took cash from his
home. They also stole a 32 inch flat screen television. The resident was not
harmed during the incident.
The suspects were all described as black males
about 5 feet 8 inches tall and slender built. The first was wearing dark
colored jogging pants with a stripe down the side, a t-shirt and a black
baseball cap. The second suspect was described as wearing a t-shirt, beige
pants and having dreadlocks tied up on his head. The third suspect was
described as wearing a t-shirt, beige pants and having a short hair cut.
A search of the area was conducted by
officers, but no suspects were located.
April 8, 2010
Woman arrested for forging and
uttering 15 stolen checks, boyfriend arrested on outstanding warrants
On April 7th, a Palatka woman reported that her daughter
stole a check book from her on April 4, 2010 and had been forging checks for
the past several days, cashing them at local stores. Checks were eventually
located at Wal-Mart and Walgreens in Palatka. The suspect, Wanda George,
age 22 was located at Walgreens on April 8th at approximately 2 PM by Sgt.
Ande Snyder. She was in the process of trying to cash another forged
check. In all, 15 checks for over $2,100.00 were forged and uttered by
George. She was arrested for 15 counts of uttering a forged instrument and
booked into the Putnam County Jail, bond set at $15,060.00.
During the
investigation it was learned that George’s current boyfriend was a man named
Timothy Wayne Hughes, age 35 of Palatka. It was also learned that he had
outstanding warrants from Clay County. The warrants were for a writ of
bodily attachment and a lewd and lascivious battery charge, bond set at
$250.003.00. Hughes was located by Officer Mike Knowles on April 8th
and arrested on the outstanding warrants. He was booked into the Putnam
County Jail.
March 27, 2010
Underage Alcohol Sales Detail Conducted
On Friday March 26, 2010 detectives of the
Palatka Police Department conducted a detail for underage alcohol sales at
local businesses. The following businesses made sales to an underage,
undercover agent:
EZ food Mart - 623 Reid Street
BP gas station - 238 HWY 17
Kangaroo – 624 North SR 19
Kangaroo – 720 SR 19 (19 & 20)
Wal-Mart – 1024 SR 19
Sunrise Food Store -7301Crill Avenue
Crill & Palm Food Mart - 3200 Crill Avenue
Chevron – 2001 Reid Street
The clerks who made the sales were charged
with Sale of Alcohol to a Person Under the Age of 21 and issued Notices to
Appear.
March 12, 2010
Fight Involving Large Crowd Leads to the
Arrest of One Man for Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon
At approximately 6:15 PM, officers were called
to the 1600 block of Washington Street in reference to a fight involving a
large crowd. Officers dispersed a large crowd and gathered information as to
what occurred. According to witnesses, several females got into an argument
that turned into a fight. While the fight was occurring, a man, Hezikiah
Myles, age 19 of Palatka was attacked by two other men. One of the men,
identified as Felton Kemp, Jr. cut Myles with a knife. Officers located the
victim, Myles at the Putnam Community Hospital and found that he did have a
cut to his forehead.
The suspect Kemp, age 21 was located a short
time later and placed under arrest for aggravated battery with a deadly
weapon. He was booked into the Putnam County Jail, bond set at $2,504.00.
The second man involved, Eddie Brown, age 31 of Palatka reportedly struck
Myles with his fist. He was not located at that the time of this report. A
charging affidavit was forwarded charging him with battery.
This fight between the females is suspected of
being related to past altercations involving some of the same individuals. A
case of interest was the shooting case involving several people at 702 North
19th Street on December 4, 2009. The investigation into that case resulted
in several arrests.
March 12, 2010
Several Suspects Arrested with Drugs and
Guns
On Thursday, March 11th, during the evening
hours a drug investigation took place after the purchase of cannabis from an
apartment located at 803 North 15th Street in Palatka. A suspect identified
as Jarvis Wingo was identified as the seller of illegal narcotics from that
location. While working to secure a search warrant for the property, Wingo
was observed leaving the apartment with several other people. The vehicle
was stopped and the occupants detained. A second vehicle left the residence
a short time later. It was also stopped and the occupants detained. The
apartment was then secured and the search warrant executed a short time
later.
The following individuals were arrested in
connection with this drug investigation at 803 North 15th Street Apt. B-130.
Three (3) handguns, 218 Roxycodone pills, a television, and approximately 50
grams of marijuana were seized.
-
22-year-old Jarvis Wingo of Miami. Wingo was charged with DWLSR and Sale
of Cannabis within 1000 feet of a Place of Worship.
-
21-year-old Maurice Dumas of Palatka. Dumas was charged with Trafficking
in Roxycodone, Possession of a Firearm with a Removed Serial Number,
Possession of Cannabis (Under 20).
-
19-year-old David Blackmon of Palatka. Blackmon was charged with
Trafficking in Roxycodone, Possession of a Firearm with a Removed Serial
Number, Possession of Cannabis (Under 20).
-
23-year-old Tavaris Wesley was arrested on an active local warrant. Six
other subjects found at the residence were questioned and released.
March 5, 2010
Two Palatka Men Accused of Kidnapping a
Gainesville Woman
At approximately 9 PM, Thursday, March 4th
Sgt. Scott Reinhold of the Palatka Police Department was contacted by family
members of a 21 year old Gainesville woman that had been missing since the
previous night. According to the family members, the woman was in Palatka
with two men Wednesday night and Thursday morning. She was in the company of
another Gainesville woman who reported that she left the group around
midnight the night before.
Officers began attempting to gather additional
information from the second woman (witness) and attempting to identify the
men they had been with. The officers eventually learned that the women had
met the men at a local hotel, the Moorings, located at Crystal cove for a
party. When they tried to leave, one of the men reportedly refused to let
them leave. According to the woman (witness), the man had a gun and
threatened them with it. The one woman (witness) was able to run from the
room and tried to get help from employees of the hotel. When she returned to
the room, the men and the other woman were gone. She returned to
Gainesville, but did not relay the entire story to the family of the
abducted woman. The family became concerned when they could not reach the
woman throughout the day and finally attempted to report her missing in
Alachua County and came to Palatka to look for her.
The witness gave the officers street names for
the men they had been with. The officers were able to identify possible
suspects based on those names and began searching for the suspects. At
approximately 4:30 AM, Friday morning officers located the two men at
another local hotel, the Economy Inn, located on Highway 17 and made contact
with them. They located the missing woman in the room with the men. The men
were identified as Wilbert Evins, age 18 of Palatka and Dominic Seymour, age
18 of Palatka. Officers detained the men and questioned the woman. She
accused the men of holding her against her will. Officers also located
approximately 1 and ½ pounds of suspected cannabis in the hotel room.
Evins and Seymour were both booked into the
Putnam County Jail for Kidnapping, Possession of Cannabis over 20 grams and
Possession of Cannabis with intent to sell. Evins was also charged with
Aggravated Assault. The woman who reported being abducted was returned to
her family.
March 3, 2010 (Update)
On February 19th we reported that an
unidentified man attempted to rob the Quality Inn located at 201 North 1st
Street. The photos attached are of the suspect during the commission of the
attempted robbery. If anyone has information in reference to the suspects’
identity, please contact Detective Danette Evey of the Palatka Police
Department at 329-0115. Information can also be left on the Crime Tip
Hotline 329-0170.

March 1, 2010
The City of Palatka has launched a new
Community Information Service
The City of Palatka has launched a new
Community Information Service designed to deliver important and timely
information to residents in our area using the latest technology.
Residents of Palatka can now take advantage of
Nixle! Nixle is a community information service that alerts you to public
safety threats and community events via web, email and cell phone. Sign up
at www.nixle.com to register.
Register now and learn more at www.nixle.com.
Then share this new service with friends and neighbors to spread the word!
For additional information, citizens may
contact Mylinh Reeves of the Palatka Police Department at 329-0115.
March 1, 2010
From Chief of Police Gary Getchell
The City of Palatka Police Department has
launched this new Community Notification Service called this week to improve
communication with people who live, work, and visit our area. The system
provides a quick, efficient, and secure way to get neighborhood-level
information out to community members who subscribe to the system. Through
www.nixle.com, the department will be able to send text message (SMS) and
e-mail alerts to subscribers in a specific area, down to .25 miles.
Notifications might be considered in the following instances:
-
A young
child or adult with Alzheimer’s disease walks away from their home. The
alert can include a picture of the child or vulnerable adult with a map
identifying the area at which they were last seen.
-
A public
safety emergency requires people to stay in or remain away from their
homes. A Nixle alert can let residents with a registered address in the
affected neighborhood know what’s happening, allowing residents to take
a proactive role in their own safety.
-
A
serious injury or fatal crash in which traffic investigators close down
the intersection for several hours during the morning commute. This
situation might warrant a notification to subscribers who live or work
in the area, encouraging them to select a different route to work.
-
Other
uses: Large-scale public works projects, traffic safety implications
around large fire scenes, community events such as parades, fireworks,
picnics, etc., details about a case of H1N1 (“swine flu”) in the area,
city council meeting information, utility outage advisories/boil orders.
Through Nixle, we will deliver messages
securely to citizens by e-mail and cell phone, supporting and expanding our
community outreach efforts. Obviously, the system will be most effective
when we have large numbers of subscribers. Please spread the word about our
use of the system and add this information to the bottom of your e-mail
signature: “Up-to-the-minute updates from city agencies by e-mail and cell
phone www.nixle.com”.
Nixle is a secure communications service
available to municipal, county, and state government agencies. There is NO
spam or advertising associated with Nixle Municipal Wire messages. The
system is available at no cost (standard text message rates apply for
subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers).
About Nixle
Nixle is a new community information service
provider built exclusively to provide secure and reliable communications.
Its authenticated service connects municipal agencies and community
organizations to residents in real time, delivering information to
geographically targeted consumers over their cell phones (via text
messages), through emails and through web access. Nixle is offered at no
cost to all governments, their agencies and organizations nongovernmental
organizations and consumers.
Craig Mitnick, the founder and CEO of Nixle,
said Nixle differs from current services such as Facebook, MySpace and
Twitter, which provide unauthenticated platforms for connections. Nixle
solves that problem by providing a single standardized service for consumers
to receive immediate and credible neighborhood-level public safety and
community information.
Nixle is a first-of-its-kind tool for
communities that need to provide critical information to their residents.
Residents of Palatka can rest easy that the local messages they receive are
authentic.
February 19, 2010
Palatka Police Athletic League
On
February 20, 2010 the Palatka Police Athletic League will be hosting the
State of Florida Police Athletic League’s Region 6 basketball tournament at
Beasley Middle School. The tournament will start at 10am. There will be
teams from Tallahassee and Jacksonville competing against Palatka for the
right to represent Region 6 in the Florida Police Athletic League’s State
Tournament in Orlando Florida. Palatka will have a 10/under boys, 12/under
boys and girls, 14/under boys and girls basketball teams participating in
the Region 6 PAL Basketball Tournament. The SFAPAL State Tournament will be
held in Orlando FL, at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex April 9th
– 11th. For further information, please contact Sgt. Shaw at the above
information.
February 12, 2010
Underage Alcohol Operation. Ten (10) Cases
Made Against Local Businesses.
The
Palatka Police Department Street Crimes Unit conducted an underage alcohol
sales operation on Friday night, February 12th. An underage
undercover operative was sent to alcohol sale establishments in the City of
Palatka to attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages. The following locations
sold alcoholic beverages to the undercover:
-
City
Gas, 900 Reid Street
-
Chevron Station, 2001 Reid Street
-
Dean’s Still, 2413 Reid Street
-
Country Cooler, 200 State Road 19
-
Sunrise Food Mart, 7301 Crill Avenue
-
Winn
Dixie Liquor Store, 901-A South State Road 19
-
Lucky
Way, 2101 Husson Avenue
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Hi-Way Mart, 3810 Crill Avenue
-
Kangaroo Express, 3300 Crill Avenue
-
Walgreens, 719 South State Road 19
The
clerk’s responsible for the sales were charged with sale of alcohol to a
person under the age of 21 and issued a Notice to Appear for County Court.
The owners of the businesses were notified of the charges.
January 22, 2010
2 arrested for Prostitution
During the
evening hours of Thursday, January 21st officers of the Palatka Police
Department Street Crimes Unit conducted a prostitution detail in Palatka. An
undercover officer was utilized to make contact with persons suspected of
being involved in prostitution. At approximately 11:25 PM the undercover
officer pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store located in the
2000 block of Reid Street. The undercover officer was approached by a male
suspect, later identified as Willie Johnson, age 47. Johnson offered to find
the undercover officer a girl. Johnson and a female, later identified as
Joann Thompson, age 48 entered the vehicle with the undercover officer. The
three had a conversation agreeing on a sexual act from the female in
exchange for cash payment. After this solicitation, the suspects were
detained by the undercover officer and assisting officers of the Palatka
Police Department. Both subjects were arrested for solicitation for
prostitution. Both suspects were found to have prior convictions for
prostitution that elevated the charge to a felony level. They were booked
into the Putnam County Jail, bonds set at $1004.00 each.
January 10, 2010
Drug Arrests
On the
afternoon of Friday January 8, 2009 the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement Tri-County Drug Taskforce with assistance from the Palatka
Police Department Street Crimes Unit and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office
Drug Unit conducted a drug investigation into the illegal distribution of
roxycodone within Palatka. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Lee
Latrill Hall age 24 of Palatka and Ceazer Bullard age 49 of Palatka.
Investigators stopped a vehicle occupied by Hall and Bullard and found a
large amount of roxycodone and suspected crack cocaine. The roxycodone was
approximately 61 grams (480) pills, street value of $12,600.00 and the crack
cocaine was in excess of 51 grams, street value in excess of $4,000.00. Hall
was charged with trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in roxycodone , fleeing
and attempting to elude and driving on a suspended drivers license. Bullard
was charged with trafficking in cocaine and trafficking in roxycodone. Both
were held at the Putnam County Jail with no bond.
January 8, 2010
Black Bear Seen In The City Limits
Over the past several weeks, the Palatka Police
Department and other City of Palatka staff have received numerous complaints
of a bear roaming a south side neighborhood area. The bear has been seen on
at least two occasions by city employees. On both occasions the bear has
been seen in the area of South 12th Street, south of River Street during the
late night, early morning hours. The City of Palatka wishes to advise the
citizens of this and offer some advice in reference to safety and
precautions to try and keep the bear away from your property.
Animal Control Officer Nora Baker of the Palatka Police Department
offers the following advice if you encounter a bear or other
wild animal. Do not panic, do not make loud noise, do not turn and run.
You should back away slowly to area of safety and call Animal Control or
the Florida Wildlife Commission hotline.
Advice offered by the Florida Wildlife Commission
If a bear is seen around your neighborhood, it is important to
immediately discourage repeat visits. What you can do is determine if
there are any attractants in your neighborhood that will cause the bear
to return. If you have unsecured garbage, pet food, barbecue grills, or
other food items available in your yard, you should secure those items
as soon as possible. Garbage can be stored in an enclosed garage, in an
out-building, or in some other type of bear-resistant container. If you
know you live where bears may be present, please feed your pets indoors.
If they must be fed outside, clean up any uneaten food immediately after
your pet finishes its meal. Remember, it is illegal to feed bears in
Florida. If you have an apiary or a chicken coop you can acquire
electric fencing that is available at any local hardware store or look
for specialty stores that sell bear deterrent materials. The mild shock
should discourage the bear from pursuing the activity. Every bear,
bobcat or panther you see should not be considered a nuisance if they
are just moving through an area in search of food. Refrain from feeding
wildlife in the hope that they will go away if they get what they want
-- they won't. They'll want to hang around to see what the next course
is going to be. A nuisance bear is one that looks for handouts, hangs
around because it thinks food is available, or becomes aggressive, etc.
If you have a nuisance bear in your neighborhood or on your property,
please contact your local Florida Wildlife Commission Office or call the
Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
January 7, 2010
Suspect Arrested For Two Burglaries
At approximately 7:30 AM, Wednesday, January 6th
a suspect broke into the Beck Chrysler offices located on Highway 17 North.
The suspect stole some collectors edition watches, a laptop computer,
several keys to vehicles and a 2003 Chrysler Town and Country van, red in
color. The suspect was seen leaving the business by an employee who had just
come to work. The employee described the suspect as a black male, 30 to 40
years of age, wearing a black skull cap, dark jacket and gray sweat pants.
Officers followed up on that case throughout the day, but no leads were
developed. The property stolen has not been recovered. At approximately 5:40
AM, Thursday, January 7th officers responded to an alarm call at a business
located at 114 North 19th Street indicating a burglary in progress. Officers
arrived and found that a front window to the business had been broken out.
They began searching the business and the surrounding area. Sgt. Cornell
Brown located a suspect identifying himself as Melvin Homes a few blocks
from the business. The suspect was found in possession of a rolling garbage
can. The garbage can contained a large quantity of merchandise that was
found to have been taken from the store. According to the investigating
officer, Tom Tipton, the suspect was arrested for Burglary of a Structure,
Grand Theft and Criminal Mischief. The officers noted that the subject
matched the description of the suspect from the burglary and theft at Beck’s
on the previous day. The officers made contact with the witness from Becks
and Bezell was positively identified as the suspect seen at Becks. While
officers conducted the follow-up investigation, they requested and received
an identity check through the Putnam County Jail. The suspect was identified
as Micron Bezell through a fingerprint comparison. Bezell was charged with
Burglary of a Structure, Grand Theft and Criminal Mischief in reference to
the incident at Beck’s. He was also charged with Resisting Arrest without
violence for providing false information as to his identity. Bezell is also
a suspect in other crimes that have occurred recently. The Palatka Police
Department is attempting to locate additional information on him. His place
of residence and associates are not known. If anyone has information on
Bezell, please contact the Palatka Police Department at 329-0115. All
information will be kept confidential.