3 facing drug charges after Clay County home raided

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – Three men are facing narcotics charges after Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook on Thursday led a SWAT team to a Middleburg home to execute search and arrest warrants.

Just before daybreak, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office tactical unit, under the direction of Cook, raided the house on Cosmos Avenue.

A teenage girl, who News4Jax has chosen not to identify, said the raid at her neighbor’s home woke her up.

“I looked out the window and saw SWAT cars and police. I opened the door and I heard, ‘This is the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Open the door and come out with your hands up,’” she said.

Her mother, who we are also not naming, said she’s concerned.

“As a mother, we want to keep our children safe, but how do we keep them safe in our neighborhood,” she said.

Howard Haddock, 57, Robert Arnold, 50, and Roy Cope, 39, were all taken into custody.

Haddock is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, owning a structure known to sell drugs, possessing fentanyl and possessing drug equipment. He was being held in the Clay County jail on Thursday evening, waiting to see a judge to receive bond.

Arnold is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, selling methamphetamine and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. As of Thursday night, he was being held in the jail on $232,500 bond.

Cope is charged with possessing fentanyl, selling fentanyl, selling methamphetamine and using of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. He was being held in the jail on $325,000 bond as of Thursday night.


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