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Police Briefs 5/27/21

Clay County Sheriff's Office
Posted 5/26/21

GCS man charged with vehicular homicide following road-rage crash

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Two men were arrested and charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in connection with a …

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Police Briefs 5/27/21


Posted

GCS man charged with vehicular homicide
following road-rage crash

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Two men were arrested and charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in connection with a road-rage accident a year ago in St. Johns County.
Joseph John Devenuta, 70, of Green Cove Springs, was taken to jail following a lengthy investigation into a crash on State Road 16 that resulted in the deaths of three people. Lucas Hedetniemi-Hart, of St. Augustine, also was arrested on May 20.
According to the arrest report, surveillance showed Devenuta and Hedetniemi-Hart chasing each other while heading west on S.R. 16. The Florida Highway Patrol said Devenuta ran a red light at the intersection of Woodland Road and slammed into a car driven by 71-year-old Christopher Converse. All three people in Converse’s car died.
Devenuta told troopers he was trying to take a picture of Hedetniemi-Hart’s van with his cellphone when he ran the red light.
Both men are being held on a $450,000 bond.

Tallahassee man charged with trafficking methamphetamine

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A call about a suspicious person led to the arrest of a Tallahassee man and the recovery of a stash of narcotics.
Thomas Marshall Spingler, 41, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and manufacturing, delivering or selling cocaine, after deputies detained him because the license tag on his car was assigned to a mobile home.
Spingler was standing with a backpack next to his car on U.S. Highway 17 at Hale Road when CCSO arrived. Spingler told deputies he had drugs inside the backpack, according to the arrest report. A search of his backpack led to the discovery of 1.4 grams of cocaine, a total of 11.6 grams of methamphetamine, a bottle of liquid methamphetamine and nine tablets of Promethazine Hydrochloride. Deputies also recovered two digital scales and $7,400 in cash.
According to the arrest report, Spingler told deputies he withdrew $10,000 from the bank so he could “buy drugs and party.”
Spingler’s bond was set at $350,006.

CCSO: Shoplifter detained by Orange Park Mall security, shopper

ORANGE PARK – A shoplifter who was trying to take two gold chains and a gold bracelet from a jewelry store at the Orange Park Mall was detained by mall security and a shopper until the Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrived.
Lawrence Jemaar Lynch, 39, of Jacksonville, was charged with grand theft on May 19.
According to the arrest report, Lynch asked a saleswoman at Jewelry Boutique to see the three pieces of jewelry. When he tried to leave the mall, the woman yelled “thief,” which alerted security and a bystander. They detained him at the mall entrance until CCSO arrived. The total value of the three gold items was $6,693, the store said.
Lynch’s bond was set at $25,003.

Jacksonville man busted for shoplifting at Home Depot

MIDDLEBURG – A 42-year-old unemployed man from Jacksonville was arrested after he walked out of a Home Depot store with a shopping cart filled with unpaid merchandise.
Randall Thomas Shirley was charged with 10 counts of shoplifting from multiple locations after surveillance cameras at 1575 Branan Field Road captured an image of his license tag after he took 18 rolls of copper wire worth $2,968.75. Shirley also was charged with driving with a suspended license.
According to the arrest report, Shirley filled a cart on May 17 and walked out of the store without paying.
Shirley’s bond was set at $55,032.

Two arrested in Middleburg drug raid on Johns Cemetery Road
MIDDLEBURG – Two people were arrested following a drug raid at a house known for past narcotic transactions.
Charles Olen McMillan, 41, and Keri Ann Oliver, 42, both of Middleburg, were arrested on May 12 after McMillan sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the arrest report, the informant recorded the purchase at McMillan’s house. CCSO Narcotics Unit and SWAT teams raided the house at 4655 Johns Cemetery Road and recovered 3.28 grams of methamphetamine, a box of 12-gauge shotgun shells, three pellet guns, several phones used to facilitate drug transactions and drug paraphernalia. The sheriff’s office also served a warrant at the house in 2019.
The search warrant was part of an ongoing CCSO investigation into narcotics and other criminal activity in the area, the agency said.
On May 25, CCSO added charges of possession of a firearm and ammo by a convicted felon, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell or distribute and maintaining a nuisance structure for drug activity.
Oliver is being held without bond, while McMillan’s bond was set at $75,003.