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Police briefs 4/12/18

Clay County Sheriff's Office
Posted 4/11/18

Jax man charged with defrauding senior ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man was arrested on April 6 around 8:24 p.m. after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office served a warrant for his arrest. …

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Police briefs 4/12/18


Posted

Jax man charged with defrauding senior
ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man was arrested on April 6 around 8:24 p.m. after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office served a warrant for his arrest.
Timothy Randy Finuff, 32, had been assisting his 81-year-old elderly neighbor with daily tasks such as household repairs and providing transportation for local errands when the victim’s wife began receiving bank statements for credit cards in her husband’s name that she did not know about.
The victim’s wife called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to report her findings and told police that Finuff and his girlfriend had been taking advantage of her husband, who at the time couldn’t even identify the detective as a police officer despite his badge, handcuff pouch and firearm being visible. The victim kept asking if the officer was a UPS worker.
His wife handed over credit card statements to police which showed a total due of $14, 883.46. Charges on this card included a charge made to a company that Sunbiz.org listed Finuff as the agent. Finuff’s home address was listed as the business address on the SunBiz website. This company was an auto repair business Finuff operated out of his home and multiple charges were made to auto part stores locally and online.
After failing to return multiple messages from police regarding this incident, police made contact with Finuff’s parole officer and asked the officer to contact Finuff. The parole officer reached out to Finuff and was not able to locate him. Because of this, on Jan. 23, a warrant was issued for Finuff’s arrest.
On April 6, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office located Finuff and took him into custody. CCSO detained Finuff and transported him to the Clay County Jail. Finuff was charged with exploitation of the elderly, grand theft and criminal use of personal identification. He is currently in the Clay County jail with a bond amount set at $100,003.

Meth arrest in Middleburg
MIDDLEBURG – A Middleburg man was arrested on April 6 around 2:03 p.m. for allegedly producing and trafficking methamphetamine.
After obtaining a search warrant, a Clay County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit and Swat Team executed a lawful search of John Michael Strickland, 42, and his residence in the 3000 block Joe Johns Road in Middleburg. Strickland was read his rights before police found a tent located outside behind a shed. This tent, which police measured to be 10 to 15 feet away from a sidewalk that children use to walk to and from Coppergate Elementary, was found to have chemicals that typically used to make methamphetamine inside. Beyond materials, police also found 3.4 pounds of methamphetamine oil inside the tent as well.
Strickland was arrested and charged with committing the offense of manufacturing methamphetamine and trafficking the drug as well. He was transported to the Clay County Jail where, at press time, he remained with a bond amount set at $200,006.


2 face drug charges after undercover buy
MIDDLEBURG – In its continued use of confidential informants, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office has made two more drug and drug-related arrests.
Officers arrested Robert Lewis Schaub, 24, and Amanda Kay Lynn, 45, both of Middleburg, on April 5 using search warrants they obtained after first gathering information from an undercover informant.
According to the police report, officers seized 70 hydrocodone pills, four marijuana plants under cultivation and another separate 99.4 grams of cannabis from a home in the 300 block of Foxtail Avenue.
Schaub is charged with possession of more than 20 g. cannabis, drug equipment possession, cultivation of marijuana, three counts of sale and delivery of hydrocodone. Both he and Lynn were charged with neglect of an elderly or disabled adult without great harm after officers found a bedridden elderly adult living in the home and not being cared for.
According to the police report, the victim was immobile and non-communicative and “was not able to move his legs, arms or hands” but found the victim was able to “blink his eyes and open his mouth, but was not able to speak.”
The victim, whose exact age and relationship to Lynn and Schaub was not made clear in the redacted police report, also had multiple open wounds that officer said needed frequent treatment.
At press time, Schaub remained in the Clay County Jail with bond set at $187,520. Lynn also remained in jail with bond set at $75,006.

Schools locked down after shots fired
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A domestic dispute involving shots being fired led authorities Monday to put two schools here on lockdown.
Both Charles E. Bennett Elementary and Green Cove Springs Junior High were secured and locked down at Green Cove Springs Police heard shots fired during a domestic abuse incident at 1050 Center St. around 1:53 p.m. on April 9.
Police later identified Floyd Anthony Gibbs Jr., 24, as the shooter and arrested him for aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, violate probation-community control, simple domestic battery, discharging a firearm in public, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammo by a convicted felon.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office assisted during the incident.
At press time, Gibbs remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $135,013.

Middleburg man charged with punching 3 boys
NEW SMYRNA BEACH – According to published reports, a man from Middleburg faces three counts of child abuse in Volusia County following a fracas April 7 in New Smyrna Beach.
Officers arrested Larry Shawn Cruce, 33, after he allegedly punched three boys as a spring football game at the New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex.
According the records at the Volusia County Jail, Cruce has been released after posting $15,000 bond.
Police said Cruce hit the children after a fight erupted at an 8-on-8 football game at 3:48 p.m. on April 7.
According to police, when the fight broke out, Cruce jumped into the fight and punched three players from Volusia County. Cruce is an assistant coach for the Middleburg Broncos, a team from the Middleburg Athletic Association.
In the police report, officers stated Cruce punched two children in the face and another in the face and throat.

2nd man charged in 2017 home invasion robbery
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – An 18-year-old Jacksonville man faces charges of armed home invasion, grand theft from a dwelling, false imprisonment and hindering communication with law enforcement officer after an investigation by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Police arrested Kahlil Ja Quez Hampton on April 4 using an arrest warrant police obtained after the initial investigation.
According to the warrant, Hampton and another man broke into an apartment on December 28, 2017 in the 300 block of Haven Avenue at 2 a.m. Police said one man was wearing a hooded jacket that was pulled around his face and wielding a handgun and the second man, while unarmed, had on a mask concealing the lower half of his face. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office detective said a couple was asleep in their beds when the break-in occurred.
The man in the couple retreated into a bedroom closet while the woman hid her face in the bedding and pillows. One of the victims later told police they knew both Hampton and his accomplice and said Hampton was unarmed.
On Feb. 6, CCSO arrested Jayvin Monte Rashard Tobler, 19, who is charged with one count each of home invasion armed robbery, false imprisonment, hindering communication from law enforcement and grand theft.
At press time, Hampton remained in the Clay County Jail without bond.

Traffic stop ends in drug bust
MIDDLEBURG – A Middleburg man was arrested after being found in possession of drugs during a routine traffic stop.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bryan Henry Davis, 35, on April 4 after pulling him over for a faulty headlight.
After making the traffic stop, a drug-sniffing dog alerted deputies that there were narcotics in the vehicle, and, upon inspection, deputies discovered a pipe used for smoking illegal drugs, scales, baggies, and a handgun and ammunition.
Davis, a convicted felon, was arrested and placed in handcuffs when officers noticed him grab something from his collar. Eventually he revealed that he had a concealed handcuff key in his hands that had been taken from his collar.
Davis faces three felonies for possession of a concealed handcuff key, concealed firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as a misdemeanor for the drug related equipment. He is being held on about $112,000 bond and is set to appear in court on May 9.