Two people arrested with nearly 80 grams of meth oil inside their car, deputies say
Two people were arrested Wednesday after police said they were in possession of nearly 80 grams of methamphetamine oil and meth-making materials.
Stacy Blackwelder, of Palatka, and Kenneth Keene, of Satsuma, sat in the car at Earl P. Powers Park in the 5900 block of Hawthorne Road after park hours, according to a police report, when two Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol approached the car.
Inside the car, deputies found multiple syringes and what appeared to be two grams of powdered meth inside, according to a statement issued by the sheriff’s office.
When one person in the car told deputies there was an active one-pot meth cook in a toolbox in the car, the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force’s Clandestine Lab Response Team was called to the scene, according to the statement.
The team found an active one-pot meth cook, two hydrogen chloride gas generators, chemicals to make meth and 78.8 grams of meth oil, according to the statement.
Both Blackwelder and Keene were taken to the Alachua County Jail. Blackwelder was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug equipment. She is currently being held in lieu of a $20,000 bail.
Keene was charged with trafficking in amphetamine, possessing drug equipment, possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell and possessing a controlled substance. He is currently being held in lieu of a $275,000 bond.
This incident was the latest in a growing number of meth cases ASO has seen, said Lt. Brandon Kutner, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
In 2015, there were about 30 meth-related cases, he said. This year, they’re on track for the same number, if not more.
“Unfortunately, it’s becoming too commonplace for us,” Kutner said. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the amount of meth over the past five years.”
One dead, four seriously injured in Gainesville crash
An Alachua man died and two infants were seriously injured Friday night in a two-car crash in Gainesville.
Minutes before midnight, Chase Pinner, 18, of Middleburg, Florida, drove his 2002 Nissan pickup south on County Road 1475 toward the intersection of County Road 225 when he collided with a westbound vehicle, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
The front of Pinner’s truck smashed into the right portion of a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Both cars came to a stop in the southwest corner of the intersection, according to the report.
Christopher Thomashunis, 30, of Alachua, was a passenger in the Sonata and died of his injuries at the scene, according to the report.
Chandler Thomashunis and Canden Thomashunis, both 1 year old, sat in the back seat of the Sonata during the crash and sustained serious injuries, according to the report.
They were taken to UF Health Shands Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Room, according to the report.
Luisa Adams, 31, of Alachua, drove the Sonata during the crash. Both she and Pinner were seriously injured, according to the report.
Both drivers were taken to Shands’ Emergency Room, according to the report. No charges have been made, pending an investigation.
Man arrested after threatening to arrest 11-year-old boy
A Gainesville man was arrested Thursday after police said he threatened to arrest an 11-year-old boy with autism last month.
At about 2 p.m. on July 29, John Mobley, 32, saw the young boy driving a go-cart in the street when he instructed him to go home, according to the report.
Mobley was wearing a police badge on a black polo shirt, tan tactical-style pants, black boots and a police-style belt holding a handgun and a pair of handcuffs, according to the report.
After sending the boy home, Mobley went up to his home and spoke with the boy’s mother, father and grandmother, identifying himself as a Gainesville Police officer, according to the report.
At one point, Mobley allegedly pulled out his handcuffs and threatened to arrest the 11-year-old because he wasn’t paying attention while driving his go-cart, according to the report.
Mobley denied any knowledge of the incident but was later identified using a Department of Justice photo, according to the report.
He was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and possessing a weapon as a convicted felon. Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail, where he remains on a $65,000 bail.
