Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Phillip Harris – December 2
Phillip Cornelius Harris, 18, of Monticello, was arrested on Monday, Dec. 2 after burglarizing a vehicle and prowling.
According to the report issued by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO), at 3:20 a.m. on the above date, Deputy Arnold was dispatched to Heritage Boulevard regarding a prowler who had been seen attempting to burglarize a vehicle. The act had been caught on a home surveillance camera and reported to 911.
After arrival on the scene, Deputy Arnold noticed a silver vehicle sitting near the entrance of Heritage Boulevard.
JCSO Corporal Ryland and Deputy Arnold the area when they observed a man walking towards them.
After making contact with the man, who identified himself as Phillip Harris, the man explained that he was the owner of the silver vehicle and that he was searching the area for his cell phone. When asked if he lived in the area, Harris said he did not, but that he had “stopped here” to ride his longboard; Harris added that he had traveled to Jefferson County from Tallahassee.
After approximately 20 minutes of talking, Deputy Arnold left the scene (leaving Cpl. Ryland with Harris) to make contact with the homeowner who had reported the burglary attempt.
The homeowner showed Deputy Arnold the recording that her home security system had captured of the attempted-crime, and while watching the footage, Deputy Arnold noticed that the pictured male fit Harris' description. The video showed the subject walking up to the property from the wood line, and then approaching a white truck. Once at the truck, the subject tried to open the driver's side door; due to the truck being locked, the subject was unable to gain access and left the property, walking toward the roadway.
After viewing the footage, Deputy Arnold returned to Harris' location and explained that he was currently detained; Harris was read his Miranda warning before agreeing to speak on the incident.
Cpl. Ryland asked if Harris had been on anyone's private property at any point, which Harris said he had, also saying that he didn't know whose property he had been on.
Phillips said that he had gone onto the property because he saw something move, and thought it was a little rabbit “or something.”
When Phillips was shown the footage from the home security system, he confirmed that it had been him.
Phillips was placed under arrest for the charge of attempted burglary to a vehicle and loitering/prowling; he was transported to the Jefferson County Jail and booked at 5:46 a.m.
Bruce Dumas – December 3
Bruce Q. Dumas, of Melbourne, Fla., was arrested on Tuesday, Dec. 3 after violating the terms of his probation.
The warrant that called for Dumas' arrest stated that he had previously been sentenced for battery charges and placed under probation as a result. However, Dumas failed to maintain his probational rules when he did not report to his probation officer as directed, when he failed to pay his court fine, prosecution fee and public defender fee.
In response to the broken probation, a warrant calling for Dumas' arrest was released in October of 2019.
At 7:16 p.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 3, JCSO Deputy Freeman took Dumas into custody and Dumas was transported to the Jefferson County Jail, where he was allowed a $250 bond.
Marcus Henry – December 6
Marcus D. Henry, 40, of Monticello, was arrested on Friday, Dec. 9 after violating the terms of his probation.
The warrant that called for Henry's arrest stated that he had been sentenced to probation after being tried on battery charges. However, Henry failed to report to his probation officer, failed to pay his court fine, failed to pay his prosecution fee, had failed to pay his public defender and failed to provide proof that he had completed anger management class.
In October of 2019, a warrant for Henry's arrest was released and on Friday, Dec. 9 at 10:37 a.m., Henry was taken into custody by Deputy Harrison. Henry was placed into the Jefferson County Jail, where no bond was offered for his release.
Shontavius Russell – December 7
Shontavius Devon Russell, 26, was arrested during the early-morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 7 by Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper Sleigher after speeding, fleeing from law enforcement and driving with a suspended license.
According to the FHP arrest report, Trooper Sleigher was patrolling in the area of U.S. Highway 27 (State Road 20) in Jefferson County, when he observed a vehicle traveling eastbound on Highway 27 at a high rate of speed. After activating his radar, Trooper Sleigher noted that the vehicle, which was a dark-colored Ford Mustang, was traveling at 106 mph.
Trooper Sleigher overtook the vehicle and activated his lights and siren, signaling the driver to stop and pull over. The Mustang appeared to begin stopping as it pulled off at the entrance of a local trailer park. As soon as Trooper Sleigher pulled in behind the vehicle, however, the Ford Mustang accelerated and sped off into the dead-end trailer park. Trooper Sleigher followed and spotted the parked Mustang near one of the trailers in the neighborhood.
Due to having lost sight of the Mustang temporarily, Trooper Sleigher had not witnessed anyone leave the vehicle and notified FHP dispatch to send in additional units. Several state troopers and JCSO deputies and K9s responded to the scene; later, Jefferson Correctional Institute's (JCI) K9 unit also responded.
At 9:03 p.m., the JCI K9 team was deployed and began searching the area. Shortly after 9:27 p.m., Trooper Sleigher called a tow truck to come and remove the vehicle and shortly thereafter, a subject (later identified as the driver, Shontavius Russell) called the tow truck operator to ask if a black Mustang had been picked up in the Waukeenah area.
According to FHP's report, the truck operator informed the subject that he was on route to pick up the Mustang, at which point Russell asked the truck operator to meet him somewhere afterward to pick the car back up from the towing company.
When the truck operator arrived at the scene, he informed troopers about the contact that had been made with the vehicle's driver and the gathered law enforcement officers put together a plan to locate Russell.
After picking up the Mustang, the truck operator called Russell and informed him that they could meet at a nearby gas station. Meanwhile, the truck operator remained in contact with troopers and advised them when Russell arrived at the meeting place to pick up his vehicle.
When troopers arrived at the scene of the meeting place, they made contact with the owner of the vehicle, who was accompanied by three men – one of the men being the subject, Shontavius Russell.
Trooper Sleigher spoke with the owner of the vehicle, who informed him that she had been told of the Mustang's towing when Russell called her and told her that she needed to pick up the car.
When the owner had met with Russell, he had her transport him to the gas station to meet with the tow truck operator. The other two men who were with the owner advised that they did not know Russell personally.
Troopers and a JCI K9 team continued to investigate the scene and concluded that Russell's shoe size, type and print matched footprints that had been observed leaving the vehicle after it had been parked in the trailer park.
Further, Trooper Sleigher called the number that had previously contacted the tow truck operator, and Russell's phone rang, displaying Trooper Sleigher's number in response.
Due to those details as well as Russell's detailed knowledge of the Mustang's location, Russell was placed under arrest for fleeing and attempting to elude and driving while his license was suspended; Russell was also issued a citation for driving 106 mph in a 70 mph zone.
Nathan Page – December 9
Nathan Daniel Page, 37, of Greenville, Fla., was arrested on Monday, Dec. 9 for fraudulently using a credit card.
In late August, the JCSO received a complaint of fraud from a victim who said that she had received multiple unauthorized charges on her credit card and transactions on her account. The victim said that her credit card had previously gone missing from her vehicle, although she wasn't sure when.
In early September, JCSO Cpl. Boland received a subpoena response from the victim's bank concerning the fraud case. The subpoena indicated that funds had been transferred from the victim's account to a Nathan D. Page; the funds had been sent on several different days. The victim confirmed that she had never sent money to that individual.
Cpl. Boland then made contact with and interviewed Page, who advised that he had previously stayed with the individual for several days, but that he did not know anything about a missing credit card. Page also claimed to have picked up a money order for the victim.
Page further stated in the interview that the victim allowed him to use one of her credit cards to purchase groceries on her behalf, but that he'd never used or seen the victim's missing card.
The victim later confirmed that Page had been a tenant on her property for a short amount of time.
In October, Cpl. Boland obtained video surveillance from a local grocery store. The footage was from the time frame from when the missing credit card was reportedly used at the store.
In the footage, Cpl. Boland observed a man purchasing groceries while accompanied by a woman.
The victim was asked to view the footage, and she identified the subjects as Nathan Page and his girlfriend; she reiterated that Page did not have permission to use or possess her credit card.
A warrant for Page's arrest was released and on Monday, Dec. 9, Nathan Page was taken into custody for fraudulent use of a credit card and theft of a credit card.
Michael Cain – December 9
Michael Patrick Cain, 52, of Monticello, was arrested on Monday, Dec. 9 after violating the terms of his probation.
In 2008, Cain had been sentenced to probation after committing two counts of grand theft.
However, Cain violated his probational terms several times in 2011, when he failed to report to his probation officer, failed to pay court costs and failed to make restitution payments. Additionally, Cain changed his residence without the consent of his probation officer; in July of 2011, Cain moved away from his last known place of residence and went missing following the move.
A warrant calling for Cain's arrest was issued in August of 2011, and on Dec. 9, 2019, Cain was taken into custody by JCSO Deputy Harrison.
Cain was booked into the Jefferson County Jail and offered no bail.
Ronald Blue – December 13
Ronald Blue, 67, of Monticello, was arrested on Friday, Dec. 13 was arrested for violating the terms of his probation.
JCSO Deputy Godwin arrested Blue on the authority of an outstanding warrant that had been issued by the Florida Department of Corrections after Blue violated his probation.
Previously, Blue had been charged with aggravated assault with intent and placed on probation as part of his sentencing.
Blue was taken into custody at 1:48 p.m., on December 13. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on the same day, at 1:51 p.m.
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