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Police Briefs 3/2/17

Clay County Sheriff's Office
Posted 3/1/17

Man arrested for assault after threatening father with firearmGREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Green Cove Springs man is facing felony assault charges after allegedly pointing a loaded firearm at his …

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Police Briefs 3/2/17


Posted

Man arrested for assault after threatening father with firearm

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Green Cove Springs man is facing felony assault charges after allegedly pointing a loaded firearm at his father following an argument in their home.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Daniel Aaron Purvis, 27, on Feb. 23 near his father’s home in the 300 block of Haven Avenue.
According to the police report, Purvis and his father got into an argument over the son’s employment opportunities when Purvis walked into his bedroom and started slamming the bedroom door repeatedly. Purvis’ father went to confront his son for slamming the door when he noticed Purvis standing in the doorway with something concealed behind his back. Upon asking his son what was behind his back, Purvis pulled a loaded handgun on his father, pointing it at the man’s face. Fearing for his life, the father left the residence and went to a neighbor’s to call police.
After placing the call, the victim saw Purvis leave the house. The victim then returned to his home where he found and secured the gun before deputies arrived and arrested Purvis, who was walking in the street near the home.
CCSO charged Purvis with one count of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked into the Clay County Jail where he remains on a $50,000 bond. His court date is set for March 22.


Orange Park man arrested on warrant for sexual battery
ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man faces felony charges for sexual battery after being arrested on a warrant two weeks after the offense.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Anthony Robert Cardoza, 41, on Feb. 26 after responding to his address in Orange Park and identifying the man from a previous arrest photograph.
According to the report, Cardoza was reported by a woman on Feb. 11 after he forced himself on her against her will in Middleburg. A warrant was served and deputies responded to Cardoza’s residence where they found the man behind the house and made the arrest after making proper identification.
Cardoza has been charged with one count of felony sexual battery and is being held in the Clay County Jail on a $250,000 bond. His court date is set for March 29.


Middleburg man charged with kidnapping
FLEMING ISLAND – A Middleburg man faces felony charges for burglary and kidnapping after taking an eight-year-old boy from his home to convince the boy’s mother to continue a relationship with him.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mark Allen Crockett, 39, on Feb. 26 after investigation into the events that happened on Feb. 25 on Fleming Island.
According to the report, Crockett entered the victim’s home in the 2200 block of Marsh Hawk Lane at around 10 p.m. where the victim’s two children, both minors, were home sleeping. Crockett abducted the victim’s eight-year-old son with the intention of intimidating the victim back into a relationship with him which she had recently ended. The woman contacted authorities after Crockett had the boy call his mother on Crockett’s cell phone to notify her that he had been kidnapped. Deputies met with the boy and his mother, who both identified the man as the woman’s ex-boyfriend, who was in custody at the time pending investigation.
CCSO charged Crockett with one count of felony burglary of an occupied dwelling and one count of felony kidnapping of a child under 13 without the consent of a parent. After his arrest while in police custody, Crockett was transported to the Clay County Jail where he remains on a $150,000 bond. His trial has been set for March 29.


Fleming Island woman arrested after months of stalking
FLEMING ISLAND – A Fleming Island woman faces felony stalking charges after harassing a man over the course of several months.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sara Ashley Farhat, 28, on Feb. 23 after deputies responded to a call about a trespassing violation.
According to the police report, Farhat and the victim were friends for about a year when the victim asked Farhat to stop all communication with him. Farhat refused this request, placing around 1,000 phone calls and leaving text messages on the victim’s phone; some of which contained serious threats to murder the victim or burn down the victim’s home while he was inside. In addition to the threatening messages, Farhat frequented the victim’s home, banging on doors and windows and skulking around the property only to leave and return several hours later, repeating the whole process about 20 times in total over two months.
CCSO charged Farhat with one count of felony aggravated stalking and one count of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence. Farhat was taken to the Clay County Jail where she is being held on a bond of $25,000, her trial is set for March 6.


Orange Park man faces child abuse charge
ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man faces felony assault and child abuse charges after allegedly throwing a piece of a cinder block at his 17-year-old girlfriend following a fight.
Orange Park Police arrested Dartorian Markell Lee, 18, on Feb. 24 after responding to a 911 call made by a witness.
According to the report, Lee and his 17-year-old girlfriend were fighting in the 1000 block of Fromhart Street when a witness heard the girl call for help. The witness then saw Lee on top of the victim, wrestling and hitting her before running away. The report also notes that Lee attempted to throw a piece of cinder block at the victim, which missed. Upon arriving at the scene, police contacted Lee via cell phone and the man returned to the scene where he was arrested.
OPPD charged Lee with one count of felony child abuse and one count of felony domestic aggravated assault.


Orange Park man fires gun in residential neighborhood
ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man was arrested after firing six shots into the ground in his backyard while intoxicated in mid-February.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robert Trott Fellows, 47, at his home on Feb. 28 in response to a warrant that had been served for his arrest.
According to the report, Fellows intentionally fired six rounds into the ground from a 9-millimeter handgun while intoxicated with no concern for the safety of the other residents in the Heritage Hills community near Orange Park. Fellows’ neighbors were outside their home at the time of the incident, and escorted their two children inside upon hearing gunshots.
CCSO charged Fellows with one count of misdemeanor discharge of a firearm in public, and one count misdemeanor use of firearm while intoxicated. Fellows was taken to the Clay County Jail where he was released after posting a $1,500 bond.

$300K bond set in robbery case
MIDDLEBURG – A Baldwin man faces three felony charges after he allegedly rammed his vehicle into a sheriff’s deputy patrol car after a high speed chase.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Elijah Anthony Bell, 20, on Feb. 27 at 5:24 p.m. after he led officers on chase that began at the intersection of Calendula and Gladiola Avenues in Middleburg.
Police said Bell was the getaway driver for three male teens he drove to a home in the 200 block of Mimosa Avenue. While at the home, the teens – whose names are protected under new state rules for juveniles – assaulted another teen and took his backpack and fled the home.
According to the report, police tried to get Bell to stop voluntarily after being called to the scene and another officer even witnessed the teens run and get into the car before driving away.
When the officer caught up with Bell, Bell rammed his vehicle head-on into the patrol car.
At press time, he remained in the Clay County Jail where he is charged with one count each of robbery, aggravated assault on a law officer and fleeing and eluding police. His bond is set at $300,009.

Home invasion robbery ends in arrest
MIDDLEBURG – A traffic stop led Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies to a man charged with an unsolved January home invasion robbery.
Police charged Mark Anthony Berk, 41, with one count each of armed robbery with other weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and grand theft of firearms.
According to the warrant, Berk and another man broke into the victim’s home on Peppermint Avenue on Jan. 24 and beat the victim in the face with baseball bats “causing several lacerations to his face, fractured nose, and fractured ribs,” states the warrant.
Police said, Berk and his accomplice stole two rifles valued at $3,300 total. After the break-in, the victim said Berk broke out the windows of his truck, slashed his tires and stole his vehicle license plate.
At press time, Berk remained in the Clay County Jail without bond.

Disturbance call leads to arrest in a 3-year-old case
ORANGE PARK – What began as a call to a disturbance in progress ended with police collaring a suspect who had been eluding them for almost four years.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jordan Jamoni Chiyenne Prince, 20, of Jacksonville and charged him with armed robbery with other deadly weapon, a charge that dates back to October, 17, 2014.
According to the warrant, Prince and three other men were involved in the sale of a handgun that ended as a robbery on October 17, 2014. Police said Prince and the three men had agreed to meet the victim and his friend in the 4000 block of Trailwood subdivision in the Oakleaf Plantation area, west of Orange Park where they were going to sell a gun to the victim.
The victim told police that when he turned over the $100 cash to buy the gun, “Prince snatched the money from his hand and told him, ‘you know there is no gun, right?’,” states the warrant.
The victim told police that, when Prince made that statement, another man in the vehicle pulled a gun on the victim and then a second gunman proceeded to do the same.
One of the men allegedly ripped off two gold necklaces from the victim’s neck along with a lion charm and fled the scene.
Working with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, CCSO tracked the victim’s jewelry to a pawn shop where it was sold within 24 hours after the holdup.
After his arrest at a residence in the 1900 block of Wells Road near Orange Park on Feb. 27, Prince was booked into the Clay County Jail, where at press time, he remained held without bond.

Orange Park Police investigate death
ORANGE PARK – Officers from the Orange Park Police Department were called to the BP station at 201 Park Ave. at 4:50 a.m. on Feb. 24 after the store clerk became concerned about a man who had entered the store restroom.
OPPD Detective Cody Monroe said the store clerk told police that a man – later identified as 43-year-old Matthew Sherrod Dennis Kimbrough – entered the restroom and did not come back out for some time and she was concerned. Officers had to pry open the locked bathroom door where they found an adult male inside unconscious and not breathing. Police and fire rescue personnel attempted to revive the man, however, Monroe said, their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
At this point, there does not appear to be any foul play involved and the body has been transported to the Duval County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine cause of death.

Teen arrested after drunken joyride ends in injuries
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – What started as an early morning joyride riddled with alcohol, cocaine and marijuana has ended as an arrest for a Fleming Island teen.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Garrett Forrest Barnes on Feb. 23 at 4:35 p.m. when he turned himself in at CCSO headquarters in Green Cove Springs for one count of driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury to another person.
According to the arrest warrant, Barnes was joyriding on December 19, 2016 in the Keystone Heights area with three other teens in his vehicle. Police said they were using crack cocaine, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. Hospital blood and urine tests proved Barnes had a blood-alcohol content of .088 percent.
After hanging out on Keystone Beach, the four got in Barnes’ car, police said, to leave the area, however, Barnes got lost.
“He turned around on State Road 100, and then accelerated hard south down State Road 21(South Lawrence Boulevard) where he lost control, went over the curb and sidewalk, and hit a tree at Keystone Beach. Two passengers received serious injuries, while Barnes also required medical attention.
Barnes was transported to Shands UF Health Hospital in Gainesville where he underwent emergency surgery.
Barnes has since been released from the Clay County Jail after posting $15,003 bond.

$750K bond set in sex crimes case
MIDDLEBURG – A Middleburg man faces three sex crimes charges after Clay County Sheriff’s Office detectives conducted an investigation.
Officers from the Special Victims Unit took out a warrant for the arrest of James Paul Michel, 39, and officially arrested him on Feb. 23.
According to the warrant, the investigation began Jan. 7 when a six-year-old girl came forward and said Michel had shown her pornographic movies and forced her to touch his penis. Detectives said the incidents occurred as far back as last August 16.
At press time, Michel remained in the Clay County Jail charged with one count each of lewd and lascivious molestation, lewd and lascivious exhibition and knowingly showing obscene materials to a minor. His bond is set at $750,000.
In the event he is released on bond, Michel is also prohibited from contact with the victim and is prohibited from returning to the residence, according to the warrant signed by a Clay County Judge.