Recent arrests in Bradford, Union and Clay
The following individuals were arrested recently by local law enforcement officers in Bradford, Union, or Clay (Keystone Heights-area) counties. All defendants are considered innocent until convicted in a court or until pleading guilty or no contest. Information in this report is from law enforcement agencies and court documents, which are public records.
Bradford
Kevin Branson, 63, of Jacksonville, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 3 for failure to appear.
Fish-hooked partner during dispute
Andrew Devane, 39, of Starke, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 4 for battery.
According to an arrest report, the victim told deputies she and her partner were arguing about their rent payment. At one point in the argument, the defendant gained possession of the woman’s purse, and during the ensuing struggle over the handbag, Devane hit his partner in the cheek.
“(The victim) advised that Andrew had hooked her cheek and pulled her face,” wrote Deputy Benjamin Norsworthy in the report. “(She) appeared to have swelling on the left cheek.”
Devane denied hitting the victim but admitted to hooking his finger in her mouth, in a fishhook fashion.
John Ginniann, 54, of Port Ritchie, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 2 for a probation violation.
Bruce Gordon, 70, of Starke, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 2 for driving with a suspended or revoked license, possession of drugs, possession of drug equipment, and an out-of-county warrant.
Dwight Henry, 28, of Lugoff, South Carolina, was arrested by Lawtey police on June 30 for possession of drug equipment and possession of drugs.
Didn’t want wife to find out
Keith Jones, 60, of Starke, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 2 for possession of drugs and destroying evidence.
According to an arrest report, two Bradford Sheriff’s detectives, Frankin Ehrnreiter and Det. Flynn, saw Jones’s red Ford sedan fail to stop at a stop sign at Starke’s Oak Street and State Road 16.
When the driver stopped at a mobile home park and started for one of the trailers, Ehrnreiter instructed him to stop.
A search of Jones’s person yielded negative results. Ehrnreiter wrote that Jones then consented to a search of his vehicle.
“While at the driver’s side, I observed several small white square pieces on the ground near the driver’s door,” the detective reported. “Upon closer inspection, and based on my training and experience, I identified the substance as suspected crack cocaine.”
“When questioned about the suspected crack cocaine,” Ehrnreiter continued, “Keith inquired about its location and then attempted to step on the evidence. As he did so, I grabbed his left arm to prevent him from destroying the evidence.
The detective wrote that Jones then fell to the ground, “and I observed that some of the suspected crack cocaine had been destroyed.”
Ehrnreiter added that Jones later admitted to Detective Flynn he tried to destroy the crack because his wife was unaware of his use.
David McSpadden, 57, of Brooker, was arrested by Bradford deputies on June 29 for possession of cocaine, possession of drug equipment, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and out-of-county warrants.
Ran out of gas, stole car
Jonathan Norman, 31, of Lake Butler, was arrested by Bradford deputies on June 29 for possession of drugs and vehicle theft.
According to an arrest report, the victim told deputies he was asleep when the defendant woke him up and told him he had run out of gas.
“(The victim) went back to sleep,” wrote Deputy Devin K. Jones in the report. “When he woke up thirty minutes later, his keys and vehicle were gone.”
The deputy added that while he was entering the stolen vehicle into crime databases, two deputies located the car at a beverage store on Starke’s Brownlee Street.
Deputy Tyler Oliver reported that as he was patting down the defendant, he discovered a heart-shaped pill in one of Norman’s pockets. The pill tested positive for MDMA.
Trespassed Dollar store while deputies were in parking lot
Jaedin Richardson, 28, of Lake Butler, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 2 for trespassing and smuggling contraband into a correctional facility.
According to an arrest report, workers at a Brooker Dollar General called deputies after Richardson, who had been previously arrested for shoplifting at the store, had returned.
Deputy A. Escobar wrote that he issued a two-year trespass warning to the defendant, and Deputy Chris Gardiner explained to Richardson that he could not enter the property for the next 24 months.
“While at the Dollar General parking lot,” reported Escobar, “Deputy Gardiner and I observed Jaedin actively walking toward the Dollar General front door, trespassing on site; in view of Law Enforcement. Jaedin was subsequently placed under arrest for trespass after warning without further incident.”
The officer added that at the jail, a detention deputy recovered marijuana from a search of the defendant, after Richardson said he had no drugs on him.
Richard Rodriguez, 27, of St. Petersburg, was arrested by Lawtey police on July 2 for possession of drug equipment and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
Clara Shellman, 58, of Tampa, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 3 for failure to appear.
Accused of stealing from 3 Walmarts
Justin Taylor, 42, of Keystone Heights, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 1 for larceny and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, a loss prevention officer at Starke’s Walmart observed an unidentified male on video putting store merchandise into various shopping carts and leaving the baskets in odd places throughout the store.
“In addition,” wrote Deputy Lakiesha Lewis, “the subject left the store several times and even placed a blue shirt over his white shirt as he was entering back into the store.”
Lewis added that as the defendant approached an exit with a shopping cart, the loss prevention officer stopped him, and Taylor ran out a door.
Palatka police later identified the man as Taylor, adding that officers in Palatka stopped Taylor while he was attempting to steal from a Walmart there.
Lewis added that when she first arrived at the retailer, she saw Taylor and a woman together in the parking lot. The woman was later seen on video attempting to get a refund on merchandise for which she could not prove she had purchased.
“(The Starke loss prevention officer) also stated that this is not the first time Taylor and the unknown female came into Walmart together, taken items or returned a large number of items together,” Lewis reported. “Both individuals were not able to be caught in previous incidents.”
The 42-year-old was arrested in Starke after Clay deputies transferred the defendant from the Green Cove Springs jail.
According to an arrest report, Clay deputies booked Taylor on March 9 after a loss prevention officer at an Orange Park Walmart observed the defendant on video, taking two Invicta watches out of their boxes and slipping the timepieces into his pockets.
Edwin Vickery, 40, of Starke, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 3 for withholding support.
D’endrea Wallace, 32, of Gainesville, was arrested by Bradford deputies on June 28 for possession of marijuana, possession of dangerous drugs, and a weapons offense.
Arrested for Circumventing sex offender registration
Randall Wininger, 65, of Lawtey, was arrested by Bradford deputies on July 3 for sex offender violations.
According to a sworn complaint, a deputy investigating claims that the defendant was not living at his registered address, discovered Wininger’s vehicle parked at a Sapp Street address in Starke for an extended period.
Deputy Antonio Velazquez wrote that he requested Putnam County deputies check the defendant’s registered address in the Hawthorne area.
“In response,” Valazquez reported, “PCSO deputies attempted an in-person contact at Randall Winniger’s registered address…Deputies observed that Wininger was not present at the residence.”
Two days later, Putnam deputies returned to the Hawthorne address and were unable to locate the defendant.
“This request was made due to the continued presence of Wininger’s vehicle at…W. Sapp Street, Starke, which is not a registered address and where he has previously been explicitly instructed not to reside.”
The deputy noted that Winninger’s past actions demonstrate a pattern of exploiting the state’s sexual offender tracking system.
“It should be noted,” wrote Velazquez in the complaint, “that Randall Wininger is known for attempting to manipulate the registration system, and multiple investigations have previously been conducted regarding his failure to provide accurate registration information. His actions demonstrate an ongoing and deliberate effort to circumvent Florida’s sexual offender registration laws.”
Union
Slapped household member
Alexia Staffieri, 18, of Lake Butler, was arrested by Union deputies on June 30 for battery.
According to an arrest report, a witness told deputies Staffieri and a household member were involved in a verbal disagreement when the defendant slapped the victim on the left side of the victim’s face.
“I made contact with Alexia, who also corroborated (the witness’s) story,” wrote Deputy Eli C. Rogers in the arrest report. “(The witness) was also advised that this incident would be reported to DCF.”
Mikah Wilson, 20, of Keystone Heights, was arrested by Union deputies on July 2 for possession of child pornography, promoting the sexual performance of a child, and lewd and lascivious battery committed on a child under 16 years of age.
Lori Waters, 62, of Lake Butler, was arrested by Union deputies on July 5 for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug equipment.
Brandon Croft, 41, of Lake City, was arrested by Union deputies on July 6 for vehicle theft.
Clay
Interfered with investigation
Andrew Ables, 26, of Keystone Heights, was arrested by Clay deputies on June 30 for resisting an officer without violence.
Deputy Brandon Draughon-Miller wrote in an arrest report that while investigating a battery case, he asked a female witness in the McRae area if she would talk to him about an incident that occurred earlier that night.
Although the woman agreed to speak with the deputy, Ables, who was nearby, interrupted the interview and screamed at the officer, stating the woman had the right not to incriminate herself.
“(The woman) spoke up that she would be willing to speak to CCSO,” the deputy reported. “Andrew spoke over (her) stating that nothing happened and they weren’t involved. Andrew then placed his arms out to his side, preventing (the woman) from stepping forward when she attempted to do so.”
Draughon-Miller wrote that both he and the woman tried to calm Ables down, with the woman telling him, “Let me talk to them, it’s okay”.
However, the defendant refused to back down, and he placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders to escort her back inside a nearby house.
“I then ordered Andrew to stop interfering with my investigation multiple times as (the woman) had declared that she is willing and wanting to speak with us despite his protests,” wrote the officer. “Andrew then opened the door to the residence, moved (the woman) inside, slammed the door shut, and declared that she will not be allowed to incriminate herself and he will not let her outside the residence to speak with CCSO.”
Draughon-Miller wrote that he then patted down Ables for weapons and placed him in the back of a patrol vehicle.
The deputy added that once he completed his investigation, he drove Ables to the Clay County Jail for booking.
Face down in a ditch
Scott Ballou, 37, of Keystone Heights, was arrested by Clay deputies on July 3 for possession of drug equipment, disorderly intoxication, and resisting an officer without violence.
Deputy William A. Stockling wrote in an arrest report that the defendant was observed at a Lake Geneva BP station, walking back and forth inside the store, arguing with shoppers, and attempting to enter vehicles in the parking lot by pulling on their door handles.
“Dispatch later reported that the defendant was laying face down in a ditch next to the business,” Stockling wrote.
The deputy reported that when he met with Ballou, the defendant was slurring his words, unable to maintain his balance, had dilated pupils, and emitted a strong odor of alcohol.
The officer added that when searching Ballou, he discovered four glass pipes in the defendant’s pockets, and he zeroed in on one.
“Based on my training and experience,” he wrote, “I immediately recognized this item as drug paraphernalia, as the burnt ends and presence of Brillo are consistent with the illicit use of narcotics. I also located two additional clear glass pipes, both containing burnt residue. The fourth pipe was a clear glass pipe with a bulb-shaped end, but it did not contain any visible burnt residue.”
Tackled child in thrift store
Adam Henslee, 40, of Keystone Heights, was arrested by Clay deputies on July 3 for child abuse without great bodily harm.
According to an arrest report, the victim told deputies the defendant grabbed him by his torso and tackled him to the ground in a Keystone Heights thrift store.
Deputy Brian Bolena wrote in the report that he observed lacerations on the victim’s right knee, forehead, and right shoulder, in addition to light scratches on his right shoulder. First responders evaluated the victim’s lacerations but did not transport him to a hospital.
Bolena reported that when he interviewed Henslee, the 40-year-old appeared intoxicated.
“During the interview, it was apparent the defendant was under the influence of alcohol,” the deputy wrote. “He exhibited slurred speech, had difficulty maintaining his balance, and appeared disheveled and unkempt, with a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his person.”
