FRANKLIN COUNTY

On Friday, May, 2010, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit, along with members of the uniform division, and members of the Apalachicola Police Department, executed a Search Warrant at the residence of 151 15th Street, in the city of Apalachicola, Florida. During the execution of the Search Warrant, officers seized listed chemicals, drug paraphernalia, materials used to manufacture methamphetamine, and trace amounts of methamphetamine.

Martha M Ward age 33, 580 Oyster Road, Apalachicola, and Jason Paul Dorman, age 34, 7161 Two Mile Road, Irvington, Alabama were arrested and charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Manufacture of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Listed Chemicals, Manufacture of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Child Neglect.

Additional charges are pending further investigation.

On Monday, April 12, 2010, after a lengthy investigation, members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, along with several members of the Uniform Division, executed a search warrant at the residence of Jimmy Wayne Lashley, and Betty Louise Lashley, located at 440 22^nd Avenue, Apalachicola, Florida. During the execution of the search warrant, deputies seized approximately 56 grams of suspected Marijuana, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia. Jimmy Wayne Lashley, 56 years of age, was charged with (4) counts of sale of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a public housing facility, (1) count, possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1000 feet of a public housing facility and (1) count possession of marijuana. Betty Louise Lashley, 48 years of age, was charged with (2) counts of sale of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a public housing facility. James Charles Taunton, 41, of 55 25^th Street, Apalachicola, Florida, who was present at Lashley’s residence when deputies arrived, was charged with (1) count of possession of marijuana. Additional charges are pending further investigation.

On March the 31st of 2010 Members of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit along with deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, K-9 Unit, and officers of the Apalachicola Police Department executed a Search Warrant at the residence of Larry Leroy Butler and Lowery Manley Croom Jr.., located at 166 10th Street located in the city of Apalachicola, Florida. During the execution of the Search Warrant, approximately 5.2 grams of suspected Marijuana, 2.9 grams of suspected Crack Cocaine, and paraphernalia were seized. Subject Larry Leroy Butler was charged with (2) counts of sale of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a church, and subject Lowery Manley Croom Jr. was charged with (1) count of sale of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a church, possession of cocaine, marijuana, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, marijuana within 1000 feet of a church. More charges are pending further investigation.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Narcotics Unit

On March the 26,2010 Members of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit along with deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and K-9 Unit executed a Search Warrant at the residence of Carlton Lucius Goodson located at 183 Bear Creek Road, Eastpoint, Florida. During the execution of the Search Warrant, (9) firearms, approximately 272 grams of suspected Marijuana, and $31,138 dollars in U.S. Currency were seized. Mr. Goodson was charged with (3) counts of sale of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana more than 20 grams, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. More charges are pending further investigation.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a test of the WENS (Wireless Emergency Notification System) on Friday March 19, starting at approximately 10 a.m. All Fairpoint Communications customers who have traditional phone service in Franklin County have been placed in the WENS and will be notified during this test. The system will be able to determine if the customer received the test notification and will also determine if the test was successful.

Anyone who wishes to receive emergency alerts on wireless phones or internet E-mail accounts must opt into the system by going to www.franklinsheriff.com and follow the Franklin County Emergency Notification link to enter their cell phone and/or e-mail address information. Once entered into the system, WENS will notify wireless or internet e-mail participants of emergency notifications such as, but not limited to, evacuation and re-entry notifications, Amber Alert notifications, road closure notifications and NOAA severe weather warnings in any specific area of Franklin County when issued.

The Sheriff’s Office and Franklin County Emergency Management Office encourage all county residents to enter their wireless and/or email information into the WENS. If you have questions or require additional information regarding WENS, please call the Sheriff’s Office at 670-4829.

On Sunday, February 7, 2010 at approximately 10:00 p.m., an altercation developed between individuals riding in two vehicles traveling on Twin Lakes road in Eastpoint, Florida. Several shots were fired from a .22 caliber semi automatic rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun and a Co2 pellet pistol. During a vehicle chase, an individual, riding in a red Toyota Tundra, fired a pellet pistol, striking the passenger side of a blue Toyota Tundra truck, and also striking Paul Zachary Sanders, who was in the truck. Sanders’ injury was a minor, superficial wound to the leg. A shot from a 12 gauge shotgun was fired by an individual in the blue Toyota truck, striking the tailgate of the red Toyota truck, which was occupied by seven individuals. There were no injuries to individuals in the red Toyota truck.

As a result of the investigation, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigators arrested and charged three individuals involved in the incident with one count each of Shooting into and Occupied Vehicle and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. An unnamed juvenile was arrested and charged with one count of Shooting into an Unoccupied Vehicle and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon.

Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Tallahassee Regional Operations Center today announce the arrest of Leonard Martin, 48, of Apalachicola, and Nicole Wood, 28, of Tallahassee, for grand theft.

The Franklin County School Board contacted the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) with allegations that Peter R. Brown Construction, Inc. (PRBC) billed them $130,000 for a security system that was never installed. The FCSO contacted FDLE in February 2009 to investigate.

FDLE’s investigation revealed that PRBC project manager Casey Kelley, 32, of Wewahitchka, worked with Leonard Martin, owner of Martin Security and Purity Temporary Employment (PTE), to misappropriate funds intended for the school board’s security system. PRBC reimbursed the school board and terminated Kelley after the theft was discovered.

The investigation further revealed that between 2007 and 2008, Kelley and Martin falsified PTE employee timesheets and billed PRBC approximately $817,000 for work on other projects that had not been done. Martin’s office manager, Nicole Wood, allegedly created fraudulent invoices for time worked and billed PRBC. Wood facilitated the transactions and Kelley and Martin split the profits.

Kelley and Martin were charged with 43 counts of grand theft; one first-degree felony, 12 second-degree felonies, and 30 third-degree felonies. Wood was charged with 12 second-degree felonies and 30 third-degree felonies.

Martin was booked in the Franklin County Jail. Wood was booked in the Leon County Jail. Kelley is expected to turn himself in tonight.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating the murder of a 5-year-old boy that occurred Monday in St. George Island, Fla. Marianne Bordt, 71, the boy’s grandmother, was arrested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and charged with first-degree murder.

Bordt and her husband, both German nationals, were vacationing in Florida with their 5-year-old grandson from Roswell, Ga. Investigators allege that when Bordt’s husband went to the store on Monday afternoon, Bordt drowned the boy in the bathtub. An autopsy will be performed today at 1 p.m.

Bordt was booked into the Franklin County Jail. The Germany Consulate has been contacted.

On Friday, October 2, 2009, Members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on the residence of Douglas J. Topham, located at 135 Daisy Street in Eastpoint, Florida. Topham was using two rooms of his mobile home as a marijuana grow operation. Deputies seized a large quantity of marijuana, Opium seed pods, Morphine and Xanax medication. One of the rooms was concealed by a false wall designed and constructed for the sole purpose of growing and cultivating marijuana. Lighting equipment, watering equipment, bedding material, fertilizers and nutrients, and documentation on how to grow marijuana were also seized. Topham is charged with Possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute, Possession of Marijuana, more than 20 grams, Possession of Xanax, Possession of Morphine and Cultivation of Marijuana. More charges are pending further investigation. The street value of the Marijuana seized is estimated at $14,000.00 dollars.

On July 23rd, 2009 Deputies and members of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit, with assistance of the Florida Department of Agriculture and the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, Conducted an aerial Marijuana Eradication Operation resulting in the seizure of 285 Marijuana plants. No Arrests have been made to date, however persons of interest are under investigation and charges of Cultivation of Marijuana, 3rd Degree Felony are pending.

During the morning hours of July 1st , 2009, a houseboat owned by Jimmy Lashley of Apalachicola, located in the St. Marks River, just south of East River Cutoff, was reported on fire and burned. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the State Fire Marshall's Office responded to investigate the cause and assess the damage. After a lengthy investigation, Sheriff Skip Shiver announced the arrest of two subjects who were charged with Arson of a Dwelling.

Gregory Scott Finley, 36 yrs old, and Jeremy Joseph Mixon, 22 yrs old of Apalachicola were arrested on the 21st day of July, 2009 and transported to the Franklin County Jail. Both Gregory Finley and Jeremy Mixon are being held on a $ 50,000 bond. Also Mixon has a charge of Violation of Probation , with a hold without bond.

A grand total of 113 vessels were boarded, 656 public contacts made, 56 citations and 63 written warnings issued and two people arrested during the annual "White Trash Bash" on Dog Island on Memorial Day weekend. Twenty-one Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers from six counties (Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jefferson, Leon, and Liberty) participated along with six Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco agents, seven Florida Highway Patrol troopers and eight Franklin County Sheriff's deputies. Violations included boating under the influence, driving under the influence, possession of alcoholic beverages by underage individuals, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, insufficient boating safety equipment, expired vessel registration, excessive speed, driving while license is suspended or revoked, possession of open alcoholic beverage container in vehicle, and failure to wear seat belt. One medical emergency was reported and the individual was transported on the Orion, an FWC offshore patrol vessel, to paramedics waiting on the mainland. The officers used eight patrol vessels and one fixed-wing aircraft to conduct the detail, according to a news release.