BAKER COUNTY, Fla. – The Baker County Sheriff's Office arrested Lonna and Chris Barton on drug dealing charges Wednesday night after what Sheriff Joey Dobson said was a lengthy investigation.
Their arrest comes hours after the couple was in court for a custody hearing during which a Duval County judge ordered them to be screened for alcohol, drugs and mental health.
According to Dobson, the couple was arrested along with, Shawn Clayton Hall for the sale and possession of Molly.
According to officials, Hall and the couple had been under surveillance and had been investigated for about a month. During that time Chris Barton sold Molly to undercover detectives three times, once on Tuesday and twice on Wednesday.
Hall was arrested for two sales of Molly while Lonna Barton was also arrested for the sale of the same substance, deputies said.
"As I said, the narcotics investigators and our investigative unit here have worked tirelessly after we received intelligence information on these three subjects," Dobson said.
Dobson also said that Chris Barton was caught selling the synthetic opiate suboxone within 1,000 feet of a place of worship.
According to officials Hall (pictured below) and Chris Barton were picked up in a vehicle that was headed down Interstate 10 just after they left the American Inn where police found and arrested Lonna Barton.
Dobson also made it a point to say that Lonna and Chris Barton's arrests were in no way related to the disappearance of their 21-month-old son, Lonzie Barton, that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate.
"I think we need to understand for everyone here that this is not about the Lonzie case tonight. This does not have anything to do with that, we're not involved in that, that's JSO's case. We have assisted in giving them any information -- any intelligence information that we have we assisted them with that, but this doesn't really have anything to do with that case," Dobson said. "Ours is separate from that and just not part of the Lonzie case and we have not questioned them, will not question them about the Lonzie case at all, because that's not in our purview."
Dodson said that Hall and the Bartons were booked into the Baker County Detention Center and are due to make their first appearance in court Thursday morning.