Crime Beat: Recent felony arrests

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Alonzo Darity, Jr. – August 5
Alonzo Lowell Darity, Jr., 20, of Monticello, was arrested by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO)'s Cpl. Bethea on Monday, Aug. 5 for fleeing and eluding police and for failure to obey an order from law enforcement.
On Tuesday, July 30, at around 9:49 p.m., Monticello Police Department (MPD)'s Lt. Pitts and Patrolman Sauls were patrolling in southeast Monticello when Lt. Pitts observed a white vehicle traveling east on Second Street.
The report from the MPD stated that the vehicle's driver side window was tinted too dark to see anyone on the inside (darker than legally allowed), and Lt. Pitts attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
When the vehicle came to a brief stop, three male passengers jumped out of the car and began to flee the scene before the vehicle sped off.
Of the three passengers, Lt. Pitts recognized one as a man who currently had active warrants out for his arrest, so Lt. Pitts contacted the Jefferson County and Wakulla County Prison K-9 teams and requested that they assist in tracking the individuals.
At 10:31 p.m., the K-9 tracking team from the Jefferson Correctional Institute arrived on the scene, with the Wakulla team arriving at around 11:08 p.m.
It wasn't until 11:31 p.m. that the first of the three fleeing individuals was found.
The next day, Wednesday, July 31, at 12:39 a.m., Lt. Pitts made contact with the second individual at the JCSO, where the individual had been read his Miranda Rights. The individual agreed to speak with Lt. Pitts and stated that he had been walking in "the projects" when he was given a ride from Alonzo Darity, Jr., who had been driving the white vehicle from earlier.
The individual stated that after Lt. Pitts' patrol car had come up behind the vehicle, someone in the car had urged Darity not to stop, and when Lt. Pitts' activated his emergency lights, the individual saw the other two passengers jump out of the vehicle – so he jumped out too.
When asked why they had jumped out of the car, the individual stated that it was because there was "weed and tunchie (synthetic marijuana)" in the car as well as a handgun.
Later that evening, the MPD received a call regarding a suspicious vehicle.
When officers responded, it was determined that it was the same vehicle from the earlier event, and that it belonged to Alonzo Darity, Jr.
The vehicle was towed, and a warrant for Darity's arrest was released.
It wasn't until Monday, Aug. 5, that Darity was eventually taken into custody and placed under arrest by Jefferson County law enforcement.

Lonnie Jones, Jr. - August 8
On Thursday, Aug. 8, Lonnie Jerome Jones, Jr., 49, of Monticello, was arrested by JCSO's Cpl. Adamczyk after Jones violated the terms of his probation.
In July of 2017, Jones was sentenced to probation after introducing contraband into a county detention facility and found to be in possession of a controlled substance.
However, in July of 2019, Jones violated the terms of his probation by using intoxicants to excess/possession of drugs.
A warrant for Jones' arrest was released and on the authority of that warrant, Cpl. Adamczyk placed Jones under arrest on Thursday, Aug. 8, at 1:43 p.m.

Cara Alston – August 9
Cara Lee Alston, 52, of Monticello, was arrested by JCSO Investigator Matthews on charges related to possession of liquid methamphetamine.
On Friday, Aug. 9, in the area of Old Lloyd Road, Inv. Boland conducted a traffic stop on a truck that had been observed failing to maintain a single lane.
When making contact with the driver, identified as Alston, and her passenger, Inv. Boland noticed that the two occupants were displaying common signs of nervousness and anxiety.
Due to their behavior, Inv. Boland asked Alston for consent to search her vehicle, which she agreed to.
During the search, Inv. Boland discovered three hypodermic needles in Alston's purse.
Alston stated that the needles were for her insulin, but a field test on the needles showed a positive result for methamphetamine.
Cara Alston was arrested by Inv. Matthews for possession of methamphetamine and transported to the Jefferson County Jail without further incident.

Rodney Ryan Levine, 26, of Bradford, Fla.; arrested Saturday, Aug. 10; charged with no valid driver's license. Bond set at $250. Released on Sunday, Aug. 11.

Terri Theres Bennett, 36, of Tallahassee, Fla.; arrested Thursday, Aug. 8; charged with trespassing after warning, resisting officer without violence and possession of paraphernalia.

Gary Bryan Empey, 33, of Clearwater, Fla.; arrested Friday, Aug. 9; charged with indecent exposure. Bond set at $1,000. Released on Saturday, Aug. 10.

McKenon Jay Hodge, 20, of Tallahassee, Fla.; arrested Tuesday, Aug. 6; charged with criminal mischief, less than $200. Bond set at $500. Released same day.

Robert Brian Williams, 39, of Tallahassee, Fla.; arrested Thursday, Aug. 8; charged with trespassing after warning. Bond set at $100. Released same day.

Willie James Lenard, 39, of Monticello; arrested Friday, Aug. 9; charged with two out-of-county warrants for possession of cannabis and driving while license suspended or revoked (DWLSR).

Terese Nicole Murphy, 27, of Carrabelle, Fla; arrested Monday, Aug. 5; charged with out-of-county warrant. No bond amount provided. Released same day.

Benjamin Morris Wilson, 39, of Monticello; arrested Tuesday, Aug. 6; charged with three VOPs stemming from original charges of dealing in stolen property, defrauding a pawn broker and failure to redeliver leased property. No bond amount provided. Released same day.