SHERIFF'S REPORT 4-22

Wakulla County Sheriff's Office officials arrested a 42-year-old Crawfordville woman in connection with an undercover narcotics bust on Wednesday, April 16, according to Sheriff David Harvey.

The Narcotics Unit served a search warrant at the home of Brenda Jean Merritt and discovered marijuana growing inside the home. Eighteen plants and soil were discovered in a closet. The plants were four to five inches tall with fluorescent lights suspended above them.

Marijuana cigarettes were recovered in the home along with drug paraphernalia. Merritt was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and producing marijuana. The contraband was seized. A total of 346.6 grams of marijuana was recovered in addition to the plants. She was arrested without incident, the sheriff said.

In other activity reported by the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office during the past week:

The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office continues a series of warnings about fraud. Several fraud cases have occurred in Wakulla County lately. The perpetrators have been using these scams to get money from residents, access credit cards and bank accounts, and possibly stealing identity.

Several people have been asked to cash money orders, checks, and travelers checks. For example, residents receive $1,000 worth of money orders from a person committing fraud. All that is required is cash them and send 90 percent ($900) of the money back to them and you get to keep the other 10 percent ($100) for your trouble. The person committing fraud will tell you that he can't cash the check in his country due to civil war, money exchange rates, or some other excuse. This is a scam! The money orders, checks, and travelers checks are counterfeits. Once your financial institution discovers that they are counterfeit and have no actual value, they will hold you accountable and expect you to repay them the full amount ($1,000). If you receive any of these counterfeits, destroy them or contact the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office and turn them over to a deputy for destruction.

Remember, if it is too good to be true...it is.

Contact information: To report a crime call-Wakulla County Sheriff's Office at 850-926-0800.  If defrauded on-line, contact the FBI cyber crime complaint center at http://www.ic3.gov/.  If you are a victim of identity theft, call the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or contact them on-line at http://www.ftc.gov/.  To verify if a business or charity is legitimate, contact the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/. 

On April 15, Aron K. Dehart reported the theft of copper from a cellular tower. The wire, owned by Verizon Wireless, was valued at $1,000. Sprint and Nextel also reported similar cases of stolen copper. Deputy Andree Brown investigated.

On April 17, Allen Hobbs of St. Marks reported a grand theft of fishing equipment from boats at Shell Island Fish Camp. Deputy Sean Wheeler identified five victims, but the value of the stolen property is still to be determined.

On April 17, Anne Van Meter Kessler of CHAT reported the theft of $61 from the CHAT drop box. Captain Steve Ganey investigated.

On April 17, Karlene B. Deware of Crawfordville reported a burglary at her home. The victim reported the theft of household appliances and other items valued at $619. Deputy Ward Kromer investigated.

On April 17, Darren W. Archer of Crawfordville reported a criminal mischief at his home as someone threw a fire extinguisher into his pool. The extinguisher had been discharged. Deputy James Plouffe investigated.

On April 15, William Leonard Tartt of Sopchoppy reported a criminal mischief as someone damaged his Gator sign which was valued at $50. Deputy Nick Petwosky investigated.

On April 15, Jackie M. Lawhon of Sopchoppy reported a vehicle burglary as someone broke into three City of Sopchoppy vehicles. Radios, valued at $90, were stolen. Deputy Nick Petowsky investigated.

On April 17, Kimberly D. Tucker of Crawfordville reported a fraud case involving a relative's Social Security number. The number had been used by five other people in Dade County. Deputy Robert Giddens investigated.

On April 17, Leroy C. Parker of Crawfordville reported the theft of checks from his vehicle. The checks had been cashed locally for more than $140. Jesse Lamar Parker, 24, of Crawfordville was charged with uttering a false instrument and theft and taken to the county jail. Deputy Robert Giddens investigated.

On April 17, Christina L. Rivers of Crawfordville reported a fraud as the victim received a counterfeit check from a renter. Deputy Sean Wheeler and Deputy Ryan Muse investigated.

On April 15, George D. Roberts of Crawfordville reported a vehicle burglary as someone stole his check book. A suspect, who has been identified, attempted to cash his check at a Tallahassee bank. Deputy Casey Whitlock investigated.

On April 15, Windy L. Anderson of Crawfordville reported a credit card offense as someone created an out of country credit transaction on her account. A $545 charge was created in Europe. Deputy Mike Crum investigated.

On April 18, Tony Rehor of Winn-Dixie reported a grand theft as an employee allegedly failed to scan items through the check out lane.  Through video, Shannon Lashea White, 21, of Crawfordville was charged with grand theft of more than $400 worth of merchandise. She also allegedly admitted purchasing stolen cigarettes from a former employee and selling them for $2 a pack on the street. Deputy Nick Petowsky investigated.

On April 21, Donna J. Pitre of Crawfordville reported a vehicle fire at the intersection of U.S. Highway 319 and Highway 267. The victim parked the vehicle on the side of the road after hearing odd noises and smelling smoke. The fire was caused by a faulty fuel pump. Damage was estimated at $1,500. Deputy Lindsay Allen investigated.

On April 19, Lt. Ronald Mitchell assisted the Florida Highway Patrol in arresting Darren Rae Jones, 24, of Crawfordville on felony charges. The suspect broke away from law enforcement officials as they were attempting to make a felony arrest. The K-9 "Gunny" was used to track the suspect and located him in a wooded area. The dog was allowed to bite the suspect when he allegedly refused to comply with law enforcement instructions to surrender. Jones was captured and taken to the county jail. The K-9 bit the suspect in the hip and buttock area. Captain Chris Savary and Sgt. Jud McAlpin investigated.

On April 19, Ralph T. Motes of Crawfordville reported a grand theft of $2,400 worth of lawn equipment from his property. A suspect has been identified. Deputy Nick Petowsky investigated.

On April 20, Stanley M. West of Crawfordville reported a theft at Riverside Cafe in St. Marks. The victim reported the theft of $500 worth of beer from the cooler and $100 damage to the cooler. Lt. Ronald Mitchell investigated.

On April 20, Kay L. Webster of Crawfordville reported a theft of a television, lamps and goblets from her home. The property was valued at $255. Deputy Andrew Vass investigated.

On April 21, April L. Ward of Crawfordville reported a theft at Murphy Oil Company. A suspect stole a $45 prepaid phone card after the clerk activated it. He ran from the scene. Deputy Lindsay Allen investigated.

The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office received 774 calls for service during the past week.

Note to our readers: The people who are reported as charged with crimes in this column have not yet been to trial and are therefore innocent until proven guilty.