MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – Clay County residents -- me among them -- are hoping a string of large drug busts throughout the county have made a dent in the drug trade, particularly around Middleburg.
I counted 13 drug-related arrests in Middleburg since February in stories that News4Jax has covered.
There were also 15 people found in a suspected drug house in Orange Park in January. Multiple arrests happened in that case as well.
On Wednesday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of two dozen people accused of drug trafficking. Investigators are looking for six more, and I went on the hunt as well Thursday, hoping to find out more about those still wanted by deputies in the undercover sting.
Investigators said Andrew Carney, one of Clay County's most wanted, lived at a mobile home in Middleburg. I stopped by the home to check it out, and a woman told me, “I’d rather not talk about him right now.”
A neighbor told me cars would regularly come and go from the home, but he had no idea anything was happening in the home that would draw the attention of police.
“I just thought he was popular,” Norman Keller said.
Across town in Middleburg, I stopped by another home where investigators said another one of Middleburg’s most wanted lives. Multiple people appeared at the home of David Childers, but no one answered after I rang the bell.
Neighbor Tim Jastrzemski said police had been there this week.
“There was all kinds of stuff: sheriff’s cars, SWAT team, and we were like, 'Whoa!'” Jastrzemski said.
The Sheriff’s Office tweeted Thursday afternoon that more arrests would be coming soon.
Along with Carney, 23, and Childers, 18, those still being sought be deputies are:
- Marcus Coleman, 33
- Aubrey Lumpkin, 42
- Erwin Marshall, 38
- Justin Ervin, 30
Anyone who knows any of these suspects and can help investigators find them can contact the Sheriff's Office at 904-264-6512 or by dialing/texting 911.