Man fights with CCSO after being stopped with no tag

ORANGE PARK – According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, a routine traffic stop quick esculated into a short chase, a fight with deputies and the discovery of 28.1 grams of THC cartridges.

Anthony David Morgan, 19, of Jacksonville told CCSO deputies he ran because he didn’t want to go to jail for not having a motorcycle license tag. The agency said he took off after being stopped on Industrial Loop. According to the arrest report, Morgan attempted to hit the deputy with his motorcycle.

He was eventually stopped after the chain on his motorcycle broke. He punched one deputy in the chest, but he was subdued after the deputy responded with an “open-hand distractionary strike” to Morgan’s helmet. Morgan continued to struggle before two deputies detained him.

Deputies found a grinder, 9.4 grams of marijuana and 28.1 grams of THC cartridges in his backpack.

Morgan, whose bond was set at $98,524, was charged withtwo counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, failure to have endorsement on his driver’s license, operating a motorcycle with a suspended license, failure to register motorcycle, possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana and resisting arrest with violence.

Orange Park man charged with trafficking fentanyl

ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man was arrested after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said he sold fentanyl and cocaine to a confidential source.

Johnny Rondell Seaborn, 39, was charged with trafficking fentanyl and possession of cocaine after investigators said he sold the plastic bag of more than four grams of fentanyl from his home on July 10. CCSO’s SWAT team converged on his home and placed him under arrest on July 19.

Seaborn also was charged with possessing cocaine.

Seaborn’s bond is $175,006. His next court appearance will be on Aug. 22.

Shoplifting call leads to arrest for methamphetamine, fentanyl

FLEMING ISLAND – Deputies called to investigate shoplifting at the Target on County Road 220 would arrest two people for possessing illegal narcotics.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Sabrina Ann Allen, 33, of Orange Park, had methamphetamine and fentanyl when they approached the couple’s car. Neil Arthur Anderson, 40, also from Orange Park, was charged with shoplifting and possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

When deputies arrived, they were told the couple’s car was reported stolen in Jacksonville.

Anderson also was charged with taking $623.30 worth of cards from the store.

Deputies noticed a methamphetamine pipe sticking out of her purse, and a subsequent search uncovered containers of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Bond for Anderson was set at $20,008, while Allen was released after posting a $15,006 bond.

Woman pleads guilty to defrauding men in romance scheme

JACKSONVILLE – Iona K. Coates, 67, of Orange Park, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Coates faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims in the case.

According to court documents, in 2020, Coates met two individuals online through a dating website. She subsequently provided both individuals with her bank account information and began receiving money into her account. Coates then facilitated the movement of the money from her account to unknown individuals. In December 2020, the U.S. Secret Service met with Coates and explained she was acting as a “money mule” in an online romance scheme. As part of the scheme, criminals acting as fake suitors on dating websites developed relationships and convinced victims to send money to Coates’s bank account. Coates, in turn, sent the money to criminals.

The Secret Service met with Coates and advised her to cease participation in the scheme, as the criminals were using her bank account to facilitate stealing money from the victims. After the meeting and advice for her to stop, Coates continued to facilitate the criminal activity. Between December 2020 through September 2021, she received $229,376.26 from victims targeted in the online romance scheme.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service – Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Orange Park man gets 16 months for sawed-off shotgun

JACKSONVILLE – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis sentenced Dylan Milton Jarvis, 31, of Orange Park, to one year and four months in federal prison for unlawful possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act sawed-off shotgun. Jarvis was found guilty after a bench trial on April 25, 2023.

According to court documents, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2022, deputies from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls of shots fired at a hotel on Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park. Eyewitnesses in the area described an individual, later identified as Jarvis, carrying a shotgun and firing multiple rounds. Upon making contact with Jarvis in a parking lot, the deputies determined that Jarvis had fired three to four shells from a Harrington & Richardson 12-gauge shotgun, then discarded the firearm. The barrel measured 15 inches.

The deputies located the shotgun in the immediate vicinity of the parking lot, along with multiple spent shotgun shells. During an interview with CCSO, Jarvis admitted to illegally modifying the shotgun. Further investigation by the CCSO and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that Jarvis previously sawed off the barrel and the stock of the 12-gauge shotgun. A record check confirmed that this sawed-off shotgun was not registered to Jarvis in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law.

Th case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Jacksonville Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

Middleburg man pleads guilty to identity theft, fraud, tax charges

JACKSONVILLE – U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced Christopher Leo Daragjati, 34, of Middleburg, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of theft of government property of more than $1,000.

Daragjati faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each wire fraud count, a mandatory minimum penalty of two years imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft count, up to 10 years in prison on the charge of theft of government property, more than $1,000 and payment of restitution to the victims he defrauded.

Daragjati appeared in federal court on March 28 and the court subsequently ordered him detained. He is set for sentencing on Oct. 26. 

According to court documents, Daragjati obtained the personal identity information to include the Social Security number of multiple victims. In July 2022, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into an unknown individual, later identified as Daragjati, using stolen identities to commit fraud.

Daragjati opened up commercial lines of credit with Sunbelt Rentals using the victims’ personal information. After renting thousands of dollars of equipment from Sunbelt Rentals, he pawned or stole the equipment.

Daragjati’s actions caused a felony arrest warrant to be issued for an innocent victim. The Florida Highway Patrol, Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, with assistance from other members of law enforcement, determined that Daragjati fraudulently obtained 26 genuine Florida driver’s licenses and identification cards.

Homeland Security Investigations also determined that Daragjati, using two fraudulently obtained Florida identification cards, applied for three Paycheck Protection Program loans in the identity of two victims. Unsuspecting lenders approved the three loan applications, and Daragjati received approximately $150,000 in PPP loan proceeds.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation determined that Daragjati submitted eight fraudulent federal tax returns using the stolen identities of six victims. The IRS approved one such tax refund, and Daragjati received a refund of more than $3,000 using the identity of a victim.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office with valuable assistance provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service Jacksonville Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Frein is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mai Tran is handling the asset forfeiture.

Kissimmee man charged with stealing school clothes

ORANGE PARK – Investigators arrested a man for shoplifting at two stores inside the Orange Park Mall, including $738.61 of merchandise from Old Navy with his son.

Gabriel Matthew Perloni Torres, 31, of Kissimmee, was charged with taking five figurines worth $749.95 from a store on March 22 and for the July 22 theft at Old Navy. He also was charged with causing a child to commit an act of delinquency.

According to two arrest reports, Torres was seen on video survelience at Pop Vault taking five figurines while two accomplances distracted the cashier at the register.

An off-duty CCSO officer responded to a shoplifting call and he stopped Torres outside the mall. According to the arrest report, Torres told deputies he took the clothes for his son and other family members ahead of the school year.

Torres’ bond was set at $5,506.