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Police briefs 8/10/17

Clay County Sheriff's Office
Posted 8/9/17

Oakleaf teacher charged with sexual activity with minor

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – An Oakleaf High social studies teacher was arrested at the school Tuesday and later charged with unlawful sexual …

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Police briefs 8/10/17


Posted

Oakleaf teacher charged with sexual activity with minor
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – An Oakleaf High social studies teacher was arrested at the school Tuesday and later charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Franceso Franzese, 25, of Hilliard, Fla., on Aug. 8 at 4:04 p.m. after interviewing the victim, a minor girl whom he had been dating.
According to the police report, detectives got a call from the victim’s father who told police he “was concerned that inappropriate texting communication was being conducted between his daughter” and Franzese.
The victim told police that she and Franzese had sexual intercourse “a handful of times,” but “most of the time they had sexual intercourse in her car, at the baseball fields” near the high school at 4035 Plantation Oaks Blvd. in June and July but could not remember the specific dates.
The victim also told police she and they had sex at Franzese’s brother’s home in Jacksonville. The victim also told police “she believed that had a real relationship, but he broke up with her earlier this month,” states the CCSO report.
Clay County School Superintendent Addison Davis said is suspended pending the outcome of an investigation by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
The school district hired Franzese in 2016 after an extensive background check that is required for all employees. Before hire, the school district fingerprints all candidates, which are screened through the National FBI database, the FDLE database, and the FDLE’s Sexual Offender and Predator Registry. In addition, instructional employees are screened through the Department of Education database for any past discipline by Professional Practices Services.
“We are saddened to address this allegation of inappropriate behavior involving a teacher and a minor. As superintendent, this type of behavior is not and will not be tolerated. I want to reassure all parents and guardians that at the end of a thorough investigation, if founded, appropriate action will be taken against the employee. It is imperative that every member in the community knows we take this type of allegation seriously and will continue to ensure that the safety of our students is our greatest priority,” Davis said.

Biker in critical condition after crash in Jax
JACKSONVILLE – The Florida Highway Patrol reports that a Middleburg man is in critical condition after a crash on Interstate 95 in Duval County.
FHP said Kirk R. Sechrist, 61, of Middleburg, was driving a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Aug. 7 at 3:24 p.m. at exit ramp 337 when an unknown driver in a Chevrolet Silverado cut in front of Sechrist, caused him to lose control of the bike and crash into the left shoulder of the exit ramp.
The driver of the Silverado fled the scene and has not been caught by FHP or other law enforcement to date. Police said the two vehicles never made contact in the incident.
At press time, Sechrist was listed in critical condition at Orange Park Medical Center.

Underage sex charge for Gainesville man
GAINESVILLE – A man arrested in Gainesville was transported to the Clay County Jail on an outstanding warrant in Clay County.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office detained Nicholas Tyre Brown, 18, August 4 on a warrant that claims the man had sexual intercourse with an underage girl.
According to the warrant, Brown was invited to a 13-year-old girl’s house while the girl’s mother was at work and the two had sexual intercourse. The warrant was filed in late April of this year and Brown, living in Gainesville, was eventually picked up in Alachua County on the charges.
Brown faces a felony for lewd and lascivious battery and is being held on $50,000 bond. He is scheduled for a court appearance on September 9.

Man charged with beating pregnant girlfriend
ORANGE PARK – A man was arrested in Orange Park after allegedly physically assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in their home.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christian Justice Michael, 21, August 6 after he attacked his pregnant girlfriend and pushed her onto the floor.
According to the report, it started when the victim was sitting on the couch eating cereal and Michael entered the room to confront her about something. He proceeded to bend her thumb back, take away her bowl of cereal and then threw it across the room. After disposing of the cereal, Michael went to take a shower.
While he was showering, the victim entered the bathroom to begin getting ready for work when Michael started arguing with her again and then grabbed her shoulders and pushed her. The bathroom floor was wet so the woman fell to the ground and Michael then got on top of her and held her arms down. She was able to hit Michael in the face with her cell phone and locked him out of the bathroom before calling the sheriff’s office.
Michael was transported to the Clay County Jail following his arrest and faces a felony for aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. He has been released from the jail since his arrest.

Rifle threat ends in arrest
ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park man was arrested after threatening a man with a rifle and taking another man’s cell phone.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Daniel Anthony Cruz, 20, August 6 after receiving a call from a man who reported Cruz to have threatened him with a gun.
According to the report, Cruz, along with four friends, were outside an apartment complex when the victim returned home. Upon the victim’s arrival to his apartment, Cruz confronted him, eventually grabbed a rifle from his car and threatened to shoot the victim. During the fight, the victim’s brother came outside and, in trying to stop the fight, dropped his cell phone. Cruz picked up the cell phone and took it to his car, then left the scene.
Cruz was transported to the Clay County Jail following his arrest and faces a felony for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor for petit theft. He is being held on $50,755 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on September 6.

Traffic stop leads to drug arrest
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Jacksonville woman was arrested with a car full of drugs while driving on a suspended license.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sheneka Lawanna Brooks, 37, August 2 after she was pulled over for driving on a suspended license near Decoy Road and Us. Highway 17 and found in possession of large amounts of multiple drugs.
According to the report, Brooks was recognized by a deputy who knew her license had been suspended. Upon further investigation, it was found that her license had been suspended five times and was currently invalid.
Brooks was pulled over and her car was searched following an inspection by a drug-sniffing dog outside the vehicle which was identified to contain drugs. Inside the vehicle, officers found 3.6 grams of heroin, 11.5 grams of methamphetamine, 31 grams of cocaine, about 70 grams of a THC concentrate, 84 MDMA pills, and 145.5 grams of marijuana in addition to paraphernalia used for distribution of the drugs like a scale and baggies.
Brooks was transported to the Clay County Jail following her arrest where she faces multiple charges. Five felonies for trafficking MDMA, possession of meth with intent to sell, possession of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and trafficking cocaine.
She also faces two misdemeanors for driving on a suspended or revoked license and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is being held on $437,500 bond and has a court date set for September 6.

Stop sign run ends in drug charge
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Green Cove Springs man was arrested after running a stop sign and being found in possession of cocaine.
The Green Cove Springs Police Department arrested Scott Lloyd Smith Jr., 37 August 2 after an officer saw the man run a stop sign in the city.
According to the report, the officer turned on his lights and sirens after Smith ran the stop sign, at this time Smith began driving faster, ran another stop sign and a red traffic light, before finally coming to a stop. After searching the man’s vehicle, the arresting officer found a half-smoked blunt containing marijuana and a handful of crack rocks from an empty cigarette pack. The officer also found baggies and a scale usually used for selling crack cocaine.
Following his arrest, Smith was transported to the Clay County Jail and faces three felonies for cocaine possession, cocaine possession with intent to sell and fleeing a law enforcement officer with lights and sirens active. He also faces two misdemeanors for marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was not given the option for bond due to a separate felony battery charge and has a court date set for September 6.

SUV driver drags scooter until it bursts into flames
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A 39-year-old Fleming Island man is on life support after he was hit from behind by an SUV while driving a 2016 Taoi Scooter on U.S. Highway 17 near the Black Creek Bridge.
The Florida Highway Patrol charged Lisa Beverly, 54, of Green Cove Springs, with leaving the scene of a crash with bodily injury after striking Glen McDonald on Aug. 4 at 10:20 p.m.
Investigators believe the scooter became caught under the 2004 GMC SUV and was dragged for more than a mile before it burst into flames near Shedd Road north of Green Cove Springs.
McDonald, the driver of the scooter, came to rest in the left emergency lane on the Black Creek Bridge, while the truck continued southbound dragging the scooter. The scooter became engulfed in flames and separated from the GMC near Shedd Road. The driver of the GMC
continued southbound without stopping until arriving at her residence.
Beverly was not injured in the crash, while McDonald was transported to Orange Park Medical Center where he had been listed in critical condition.
FHP said it is unknown whether Beverly was wearing a safety belt and a test is underway to determine whether alcohol played a part in the crash.
She was booked on the charges at the Clay County Jail, but has since been released on bond.

Sheriff’s office seeks community help
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Detectives with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office are looking for two people who are suspected of breaking in to a business in Orange Park. On July 25, around 3:30 p.m., the pair allegedly broke a window and entered the business. They stole money from an ATM machine and cash registers. Both of them wore gloves and had their faces covered.
If you have any information about this burglary, please call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 264-6512.