A Starke man was sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded to communicating with children on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media and persuading them to send him pornographic images of themselves, then paying the children for the images. Joshua Kelvin Pelham, 33, pleaded to seven counts of possession of child pornography, five … Read more
A 44-year-old homeless man was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading to selling methamphetamine near Starke’s Smyrna Baptist Church in February. Bruce Austin Lee pleaded to two counts of selling methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a place of worship, possession of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a place of worship, and use of … Read more
The second of two men accused in May of robbing two men of dirt bikes at gunpoint has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Chandler Parrish Ellison, 28, pleaded to one count of robbery with a firearm. The state dropped a second robbery count in addition to two counts each of kidnapping and aggravated … Read more
Brittany Pauline Hunton, 38, of Starke was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, and Jon Michael Johnson, 42, of Melrose was sentenced to six months’ probation after pleading to stealing from Starke’s Walmart using the store’s self-checkout terminals. According to court papers, on September 16, Walmart loss prevention officers told Starke police they observed Hunton checking … Read more
Bradford deputies arrested a man they described as autistic after a woman accused him of molesting her over a period of years and, at one point, sexually battering her. Emanuel David Kiser, 19, was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior by an offender aged 18 or younger on a victim aged 12 or younger and … Read more
Bradford deputies arrested Jeffrey Warren Atkinson, 65, of Starke on October 27 for the Sept. 12 offense of assault on a person aged 65 or older. According to court papers, the defendant’s father told Starke police that while the two were dining at Starke’s IHOP, he asked Atkinson to turn the volume down on his … Read more
A 26-year-old Lake Butler man was sentenced to 27 days in jail after pleading to stealing a cell phone, candy, and socks from the town’s CVS. Stacey Deon Smith pleaded to petit theft of less than $100. According to an arrest report, on October 2, the store’s manager called the sheriff’s office, describing the defendant, … Read more
A 39-year-old Starke woman was arrested after Walmart personnel said she switched a tag on clothing and under rang merchandise at the retailer’s self-checkout terminals. Katie Marie Sherwood was arrested for petit theft. According to court papers, a loss prevention officer at the store told police he saw the defendant switch the tag on an … Read more
Bradford deputies arrested a 34-year-old Lawtey woman after her family members accused her of making over $16,000 in unauthorized purchases with her aunt’s credit cards. Brandi Fawn Knight was arrested for exploitation of the elderly and fraudulent use of identification of a victim aged 60 years or older. According to court papers, in March, the … Read more
An Orange Park man sentenced to a year in jail claimed he was the target of a Republican plot to take his life and criticized Sheriff Brad Whitehead for not calling the FBI to report local corruption. Wesley Mikell Morgan, 37, pleaded to harassing communication and threatening an elected official. According to court papers, between … Read more
