Complaints of rampant drug crime in St. Petersburg at Williams Park led police to make nearly three dozen arrests for crimes involving drugs. The arrests are the result of an eight-month operation targeting drug users and drug dealers. Complaints of drug deals and drug use taking place in open led to narcotics and vice getting involved in this investigation.
According to police, they have been building cases against nearly 30 people in St. Petersburg for drug crimes since 2009. At last report officers were still looking for suspects they want to arrest. Charges range from dealing crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and painkillers like hydrocodone and oxycodone.
The mayor of St. Petersburg stated that he would not let Willaims Park fall into the “wrong hands”. The wrong hands he was referring to were best exemplified by the following two arrests according to the police and TampaBay.com. A man known as Byron Jackson was arrested during the sweep of the park wearing an electronic ankle monitoring bracelet. Jackson’s real name is actually Theron Luvorn Daniels and he is a registered sex offender. He served nearly 20 years in prison on charges of aggravated assault, sexual battery, felon in possession of a firearm and battery on a law enforcement officer. He was arrested most recently on charges of violation of probation, possession of crack and marijuana and sale or delivery of crack cocaine.
Another suspect arrested was Andre Demetrice Bullard. Bullard was charged with multiple counts of possession of cocaine, possession of crack cocaine, sale of crack and sale of powder cocaine. He was being held on $90,000 bail.
The park is a home to many of St. Pete’s homeless population and while some of the arrests made were of homeless people, police said many were just drug dealers hanging out in the park and using the homeless as covers for their drug deals.
