Hammer and Hope
Five jailed following drug raid on Plankton Avenue

MIDDLEBURG – Just two weeks after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team arrested seven people in a Clay Hill drug raid, the agency rounded up another five people in a drug raid in Middleburg.
Deputies surrounded a home at 141 Plankton Ave. on Nov. 24 and recovered cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and drug paraphernalia as part of its ongoing Hammer and Hope program to address the drug problems in the southwestern part of the county. Hammer and Hope not only targets offenders, but it also provides treatment for addicts and counseling for family members affects by the plague of opioid abuse.
Destini Nicole Hunter, 30, was charged with possession of cocaine and selling methamphetamine.
Pete Lee Ward, 33, and Robert Thomas Thompson, 34, were charged with possession of methamphetamine.
Anthony Michael Fischer, 29, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession and sale of fentanyl and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. Fischer’s bond was set at $150,006.
The investigation gained traction after a confidential informant working with the sheriff’s office bought a half-gram of fentanyl for $65 on Aug. 10 from Fischer on Wintergreen Street in Middleburg. An affidavit for an arrest warrant was issued a day after Fischer was arrested in the raid.
Fischer was arrested as he got out of his car on Plankton Avenue. He was found with 25.5 grams of methamphetamine in his right jacket pocket. Deputies also found a bag with traces of fentanyl in the backseat.
According to the arrest report, Fogarty was traveling with Fischer. She told deputies she was six months pregnant and was with Fischer when he bought the drugs on 103rd Street.
Anyone who has problems with drug abuse, either as an addict or victim, is encouraged to call (904) 284-7703.

Woman charged with
tampering with evidence

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A woman was arrested for trying to convince someone not to testify against a man charged with shooting a woman in the head with a shotgun. Apollonia Linn Garcia, 31, of Jacksonville, was charged with tampering with evidence in a capital life felony proceeding, on Nov. 29. She already was in the Duval County Jail and was transported back to Clay to face charges.
The case dates back to Dec. 18, 2020, when deputies were called to an apartment complex on Blanding Boulevard. When they arrived, they found a woman bleeding from her head. She said she was shot by Jesus Arian Garcia, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said. She said he fired a shotgun through her front door as she looked through the peephole.
According to Jesus Garcia’s arrest report, the two argued before the shooting. Garcia also was charged with resisting arrest with violence and battery.
While Jesus Garcia is being held on a $255,758 bond, Apollonia Garcia was ordered to be held without bond.