Woman charged with crashing into cars, eluding CCSO, smuggling meth into jail

MIDDLEBURG – A 53-year-old Green Cove Springs woman faces a litany of charges after the Clay County Sheriff's Office said she left the scene of two crashes while CCSO deputies were chasing her on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Shirley Lynn Wells, was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving damage, attempting to flee or elude law enforcement with lights and siren active, smuggling contraband into the Clay County Jail and possession of methamphetamine after CCSO said she struck an SUV at the intersection of Henley Road and Blanding Boulevard with her Lincoln SUV while she was being chased. The agency stated that she then collided with a Tesla at the same intersection.

The chase began when a witness called the CCSO to report a hit-and-run incident. The witness pointed to the Lincoln SUV and told the deputy the driver was responsible for the crash at the intersection of Tanglewood Boulevard and Gifford Avenue. The deputy gave chase, but Wells collided with two other cars at Henley and Blanding before she sped away. Her vehicle was eventually found abandoned in the roadway on Cathedral Oak Parkway.

Deputies searched their records to find the owner of the Lincoln. They found Wells at her home in Green Cove Springs, where she was taken into custody. During the booking process, detention deputies caught her with methamphetamine, according to a CCSO arrest report.

Wells’ bond was set at $126,526. Her next court appearance is scheduled for September 16.

Teen pleads not guilty to shooting his parents to death

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Trevor Eugene Lee, 14, who was indicted on Aug. 12 with two counts of first-degree murder by a Clay County grand jury, entered two not guilty pleas during his arraignment on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

Public Defender Charlie Cofer entered his pleas, and Judge Steven B. Whittington granted Cofer’s request that Lee be allowed to skip future hearings until his trial starts the week of Feb. 10, 2026. Whittington asked the teen if he understood and if he was willing to do that. Lee responded, “Yes, sir,” to both questions.

Lee is accused of killing his parents, David Lee, 44, and Brandi Smith, 45, in their Middleburg bedroom shortly after midnight on Aug. 3.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Lee called the agency’s communications department from CrossPointe Church on County Road 220 on Fleming Island after walking 1.5 miles from his home on Silver Point near Swimming Pen Creek after the shooting. He told them he had shot his parents to death.

“Based upon our preliminary investigation, and we're still very early in this investigation, it appears that there was some sort of domestic argument last night between Trevor Lee and his parents, and that this shooting culminated from that argument,” Cook said.

Cook said the boy left the gun at the scene.

Man already in jail faces new child sexual battery charges

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A man who’s been in the Clay County Jail since May 30 facing three counts each of sending harmful sexual content to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and a single count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, learned on Friday, Aug. 15, he also will face two counts of sexual battery of a minor.

Michael Don Weedon, 35, of Green Cove Springs, will be held without bond until his next hearing on Sept. 2.

According to the heavily redacted arrest report, Weedon is accused of battery on a girl who was younger than 12 and another 14-year-old girl on or around April 26, 2025.

Two arrested on school-related charges on Aug. 13

CLAY COUNTY – A 14-year-old and a mother of an elementary student were arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 13, by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office following brief investigations.

Ahmon Laster, a student at Bannerman Learning Center, was charged with making a false report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner after he claimed to be his older brother, who was going to take a gun to Clay High to shoot classmates on Wednesday.

Sierra Nichole Bronner, 39, of Middleburg, was charged with child neglect and being a parent and allowing the unlawful possession of a firearm when she packed a handgun in her daughter’s backpack before she went to school at Coppergate Elementary.

Sheriff Michelle Cook said Laster was mad at his older brother, and he made the threat to Clay High in an attempt to get his brother in trouble. She said Bronner put the gun in her daughter’s backpack to give it to her father, who does not live with the mother and the daughter, when he drove her to school. Apparently, the daughter had forgotten, and when she arrived at school and found the gun, she informed her teacher.

“At the end of the day, it's our job to keep kids safe,” Cook said. “That is our No. 1 priority, and we will not stop doing that. I received numerous phone calls, emails, text messages, and inquiries. These investigations take time, and we wanted to do them right, but I want you all to know that your kids are safe. We're going to keep them safe.

“Please, again, encourage your students not to make false threats, because they can be arrested. They will be arrested. And then, also make sure to be aware of what our kids are taking to the school grounds.”

The school day started when CCSO was alerted by Florida Fortify about a threat to Clay High about a student who planned to shoot students, the facility and staff. The school was placed on “secured” status, which is short of lockdown, Cook said. That means students could move from class to class, but they weren’t allowed to wander around the campus.

The student had a younger brother at Bannerman, so that school was also placed on secured status. Neither student was at school, and detectives interviewed neither.

“We discovered that the younger brother was mad at his older brother,” Cook said. “The younger brother created a fake text string back and forth about bringing a gun to school.”

She said he sent a string of texts to get his older brother in trouble.

Coppergate was also placed in a “secure” status when the child told her teacher she had a gun.

“It’s crucial that parents know what their children are bringing to school before they leave home. Look in their backpacks, ask questions and have conversations on what’s appropriate to bring to school,” Cook said. “In this specific case, this was a poor decision and could’ve ended in tragedy. I’m grateful for our partnership with Clay County District Schools and applaud our school resource deputies and detectives for their work to keep our students safe.”

Bronner’s bond was $50,006.

Middleburg man killed in rush-hour collision on Blanding Boulevard

MIDDLEBURG – A 56-year-old Middleburg man was killed on Friday, Aug. 15, when the Florida Highway Patrol said he ran a stop sign at Azelea Ridge Boulevard and was struck on Blanding Boulevard by a pickup driven by a Middleburg man.

The accident happened at 4:29 p.m., the height of rush hour, and closed all lanes of Blanding. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

FHP does not release the names of anyone involved in accidents.