On Thursday, September 24, 2020 members of the Jackson County Drug Task Force merged with units from the Uniformed Patrol Division for a three-night traffic enforcement operation that went into action on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
Drug Task Force Investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Graceville Police Department, the Cottondale Police Department, and the Sneads Police Department paired with units from their respective agencies and members of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Uniformed Patrol Division and were assisted in the operation by K-9 handlers from the Washington County Sheriff Office. Investigators and Patrolmen/women were propositioned with the opportunity to help reduce the rising amount of traffic accidents and fatalities in the Jackson County community. Officers that participated, volunteered during their regularly scheduled off days to make the operation successful. The operation was organized to enforce traffic laws however, criminal interdiction came as a secondary priority for the operation.
During the operation, participating agencies safely executed 74 traffic stops while issuing a total of 54 verbal warnings, 10 written warnings and 8 Uniform Traffic Citations (UTCs). 3 calls of suspicious vehicles were initiated along with 1 call for information purposes. A total of 3 arrest warrants were served and total of 5 arrests were made. During the operation a total of 134.88 grams of illegal narcotics (58.20 grams of Methamphetamine, 76.39 grams of Marijuana, 0.29 grams of Cocaine) 1 firearm and $2, 678 of suspected drug proceeds were seized from the streets of Jackson County.
The units also responded to a noise disturbance at an agriculture field off of Bellamy Bridge Rd. which was suspected to be attended by young adults that were not of age to consume alcoholic beverages. Additionally, Facebook rumored the gathering to have “free weed.” Units safely shutdown the gathering while making efforts to ensure those who left driving were not intoxicated and all passengers were wearing safety belts. The safety of our youth is of utmost importance to Sheriff Roberts.
Sheriff Lou Roberts would like to extend his most sincere gratitude to the dedicated staff members of each of the respective agencies, who volunteered their time to in order to ensure the safety of the citizens of Jackson County. Future operations similar to this will be conducted in the future.
Anyone with any information related to a crime is encouraged to notify the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 850-482-9624 or Chipola Crime Stoppers at 850-526-5000 or toll free at 888-804-8494. Tips can also be submitted online at www.crimestoppersofjacksoncountyfl.com
