JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A concerned citizen giving a tip to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office led to nine arrests after detectives executed search warrants on two houses on the city's Westside, the sheriff announced in a press conference Thursday at noon.
Sheriff T.K. Waters said a tip came in from the community group Sheriff's Watch.
He said the tip came when the citizen brought concerns of "narcotics activity" to a Sheriff's Watch meeting in February. This led to an undercover investigation and eventually the search warrant and arrest. Waters said he's grateful to community members who help law enforcement.
On April 19, detectives served the warrants at the houses, one in which that's located on Firetower Road.
"Inside that home [on Firetower Road], our detectives found several firearms and a large amount of various types of drugs," Waters said during the press conference. "We seized six firearms."
JSO's forensic experts discovered that one of the guns had been used in violent crimes, Waters said. The gun, a 9mm Glock, according to the sheriff, matched casings that were collected at a February attempted murder scene where someone was shot. It also matched casings found at a shooting the same month where shots were fired at a home with "several adults and children inside."
"Thankfully, fortunately, no one was hurt during that incident," Waters added.
Council Member Rahman Johnson said in a satement that he is a"incredibly grateful" to Waters and JSO for putting an end to a "dangerous drug ring."
He went on to say, in part, "Because of the quick action and diligence of our law enforcement professionals, nine individuals involved in illegal drug activities have been apprehended, and a significant amount of dangerous narcotics has been kept off the street... It is reassuring to know that through the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and concerned citizens, potential tragedies have been averted. I urge everyone to remain vigilant and continue cooperating with law enforcement to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our neighborhoods. Together, we can make Jacksonville a safer place for everyone."
Neighbors in the area didn't want their face shown on camera for fear of retribution, but said they would often find needles in their yards and constant drug traffic on their street.
One neighbor even said her relative used to live next door to the home but moved because of the constant drug activity. However, that neighbor said things have gotten better on the street since the arrests.
"Over these past 2 weeks I haven't seen a lot of things, so maybe that helped with a lot of the traffic that was coming," said the neighbor.
Narcotics seized during the investigation, according to the sheriff, are:
- 994 grams of methamphetamine
- 164 grams of fentanyl
- 49 grams of cocaine
- 287 grams of marijuana
One of the homes were not only being used to store drugs, but also for the manufacture and distribution of narcotics, Waters said.
The names of the nine people arrested, along with their ages and charges is listed below:
- Thomas Sawyer, 40 - armed trafficking amphetamine or methamphetamine 14 grams or more, armed trafficking cocaine 28 grams or more, armed selling of methamphetamine and resisting an officer without violence
- Autym Speer, 29 - armed possession of fentanyl with intent to sell/manufacture/deliver, three counts of possession of firearm, weapon or ammunition by convicted felon, and armed possession of cocaine
- Carlos Garcia, 22 - trafficking in dangerous fentanyl, trafficking in amphetamine or methamphetamine 28 grams or more, trafficking in hydrocodone 14 grams or more, possession of cocaine with intent to sell/MFG/deliver and resisting an officer without violence
- Emily Kirksey, 22 - two counts of possession of a controlled substance and resisting an officer without violence
- Ryan Wortman, 37 - possession of controlled substance and resisting an officer without violence
- Nino Jesus Perez, 41 - possession of controlled substance and resisting officer with violence
- Zion Wallace, 21 - possession of over 20 grams of marijuana
- Deontrae Dixon, 23 - two counts of resisting an officer without violence and possession of marijuana not over 20 grams
- Kelli Wilson, 47 - resisting an officer without violence
Wilson, Wortman and Wallace have all bonded out, jail records show.
Sheriff's Watch meetings
If you want to attend a Sheriff's Watch meeting, the dates are below:
The monthly meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at the SIAA Building, 210 W. 7th Street. Please contact the District 1 Substation at 904.630.8144 for more information.
The next monthly meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the District 2 Substation, 9119 Merrill Road. Please contact the District 2 Substation at 904.630.8166 for more information.
The next monthly meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the District 3 Substation, 8875 Liberty Ridge Drive. Please contact the District 3 Substation at 904.630.8100 for more information.
The next monthly meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Lane Wiley Senior Center, 6710 Wiley Road. Please contact the District 4 Substation at 904.630.8133 for more information.
Those residing in Sectors Q, R, and S are scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at the Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center, 1697 Kings Road.
Those residing in Sector T and Baldwin are scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the Baldwin Senior Center, 850 Center St. N.
Edward Waters University students will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 13, 2024, in the EWU Classroom at the District 5 Substation.
Please contact the District 5 Substation at 904.470.8900 for more information.
The next monthly meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Highlands Regional Library, 1826 Dunn Avenue. Please contact the District 6 Substation at 904.630.8688 for more information.
For more information about Sheriff's Watch and the monthly meetings please contact JSO's Community Engagement Section at 904.630.2160