Week-long patrol leads to multiple arrests

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) recently engaged in a weeklong detail involving traffic stops and warranted searches within Monticello city limits, resulting in multiple arrests, confiscated firearms and illegal materials.
  Three of the week's arrests were for Brenda Cuyler, a 53-year-old Monticello resident; Adrian Coates, a 33-year-old Tallahassee resident; and Robert Geathers, Jr., a 41-year-old Monticello resident.
According to the arrest reports issued by the JCSO, at around 9:32 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, Investigator Burrus and Investigator Matthews were conducting a patrol near Highway 90.
During their patrol, the investigators observed a truck traveling at a high rate of speed, headed towards the Courthouse Circle (37 miles-per-hour in a 25 miles-per-hour zone).
After conducting a traffic stop, Investigator Matthews made contact with the driver, while Investigator Burrus made contact with the passenger, who was identified as Robert Earl Greathers, Jr. by the Florida ID card that he provided.
According to the arrest report, Greathers appeared to be nervous, as he was visibly shaking and would not make eye contact with the law enforcement officers.
Investigator Burrus asked Greathers to exit the vehicle, to which Greathers complied.
When asked if he had anything illegal on his person, Greathers answered truthfully, stating that he had a gun.
The firearm, which was identified as a Rossi 357 magnum revolver, was removed from Greathers' person and while Investigator Matthews detained Greathers, Investigator Burrus secured the gun – which was fully loaded.
As a convicted felon, Greathers was placed under arrest for possession of a firearm as well as for unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm on his person.
The next day, on Thursday, June 13, Investigators Burrus and Matthews arrested Brenda Cuyler and Adrian Coates after conducting a warranted search on the residence where both subjects were located.
According to arrest reports for the two individuals, the JCSO Drug Unit were conducting a search of the residence when Coates was located in the bathroom, near the toilet.
After lifting the toilet seat, 6.3 grams of crack cocaine was found within the toilet.
Also, a Ruger LC9 was found hidden under a pillow on the sofa; the gun had a full magazine with one round already in the chamber.
Further searching of the residence revealed 19 rounds of ammunition in Cuyler's bedroom.
During interviews with the two subjects following the reading of their Miranda rights, Cuyler claimed that Coates had been on the sofa, near the pillow, before law enforcement officers made entry into the residence; she also claimed that Coates had previously informed her that he carried a firearm.
Cuyler also admitted to using crack cocaine and allowing Coates to sell the illegal drug from her home; furthermore, she said that she would conduct crack cocaine sales when Coates was not at home.
According to the arrest report, Cuyler stated that she allows people into her house and that they “smoke crack cocaine together.”
During his interview, Coates admitted to having attempted to flush the crack cocaine down the toilet but denied any knowledge of the firearm. Instead, Coates claimed that Cuyler carried a gun.
Both subjects stated that, while being aware that the other “carried a firearm,” neither had ever seen the other person with said firearm.
After returning to the Sheriff's Office, Investigator Matthews was able to identify firearm by the serial number on the gun, which resulted in discovering that the weapon had been reported stolen from Tallahassee back in January of 2018.
The report also stated that the appearance of the firearm's serial number provided evidence that someone had attempted to alter or remove the number from the gun.
Coates was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm/ammo as a convicted felon, altering/removing a serial number from a firearm, sale of a controlled substance – 6.30 grams of cocaine and possession of a controlled substance – 6.30 grams cocaine.
Cuyler, the resident's tenant, was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm/ammo as a convicted felon, altering/removing a serial number from a firearm, sale of a controlled substance – 0.09 grams of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance – 0.09 grams of cocaine and operating a drug house.