Posted 10:58 am Sunday, November 08, 2009
Jacksonville SWAT Raid Results In Six Arrests
JACKSONVILLE -- Six people were arrested Friday after the Jacksonville Police Department executed a SWAT raid at 909 Kelly St.
Special Response Officers entered the home about 4:55 p.m. once a search warrant was obtained.
Police said they arrested two people and recovered a "large amount" of prescription pain killers and other drugs. Police also seized cash from the drug sales.
Lori Brooks, 43, and Melinda Kirsh, 45, were arrested and charged with delivery and possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1, a first degree felony.
During the raid, prospective customers approached the area, even though police vehicles were parked in front of the home and uniformed SWAT officers were moving around, officials said.
According to police, Chief Reece Daniel stopped one of the vehicles and arrested Chris Berry, 21, Jacksonville, for possession of cocaine and marijuana. Sgt. Daniel Franklin and SWAT team members also arrested three more people who approached the house, officials said.
James Tatum Hallford, 17, Jacksonville, Chedrick Boyd, 21, Jacksonville, and Gerald Jerome Singleton Jr., 22, Jacksonville, were charged with possession of marijuana.
As of Saturday, Boyd was in jail with a $1,000 bond and Ms. Kirsh was in jail with a $30,000 bond. The other four suspects had been released.
Police say they have spent hundreds of hours investigating the Kelly Street home over the past year.
Dressed in a full ghillie suit, Sgt. Jason Price conducted surveillance of the house on more than one occasion, officials said. According to police, Sgt. Price also documented "suspicious activities" and photographed people approaching the house.
"I am very proud and gratified that our officers took their time and built an air-tight case before they reacted. We have been receiving reports that many of these illegal painkillers were making their way into our schools, and my first reaction was to move swiftly to stop that from happening," Chief Daniel said in a prepared statement. "However, when the police fail to take their time it usually results in a weak case that might not result in a conviction. I have no doubt we will be able to convict every person involved in this illegal drug operation."
He continued, "Sgt Franklin, along with the entire Criminal Investigations Division and many patrol officers, worked in concert to not only stop these dealers, but to also ensure their ultimate convictions� (Sgt. Franklin's) personal investigation led directly to us being able to secure a search warrant for this residence, and I am grateful to him for his dedication and determination to bring this investigation to a close."
Sgt. Franklin had nothing but good things to say about the newly formed SWAT team's first official effort.
"The training and equipment provided by the department made it possible for the SWAT team to execute this warrant with minimal danger to the community and officers. I am very proud of their performance," he said in a prepared statement.
After a three-year absence, the police department decided to bring back its Special Response Team this summer.
Chief Daniel has said the 2006 team was an ad hoc team rather than a trained team, so they disbanded it until proper training and equipment were available.
They decided to put the team back together, and the chief, along with Sgt. Franklin and Assistant Police Chief John Page, selected members.
The team consists of Sgt. Franklin, Sgt. Price, Detective Travis Cearley and patrol officers Paul Allen and Jeff Dockter.
Staff Writer Kelly Gooch contributed to this report.
