Crime This Week

Crime This Week

Baker County

Moonshine still stolen from park

Either someone wants to brew up some ‘shine or make some jelly with the theft of a moonshine still from Heritage Park in Macclenny.

The 90 pound, copper still was discovered missing by Park employee Jeremy Lund on Friday, September 19. He told police that it was last seen three days before. It is possible the still was taken because of the copper.

The still, valued at $1500 was not bolted down at its exhibit at the Lowder Street park. Officers were unable to find any fingerprints and due to traffic in and out of the park, no footprints or tire tracks could be seen. The park is under the direction of the City of Macclenny.

DUI and more

A recent report from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office about a DUI arrest reads like a textbook case on what NOT to do when driving and pulled over by the police.

On Thursday, September 18, Misty Shantelle Smith, 25, of Jacksonville was questioned by police after she barreled up to a school zone at 84 mph and just missed slamming into a slower vehicle in front of her.

As she was approached by Sgt. Buck Dyal, she was crying and advised she didn’t have a license. She also smelled like she had been drinking. When she was asked to step out of the vehicle, her mood changed immediately and she became verbally abusive mouthing obscenities.

She was totally unable to perform the field sobriety tests and advised that she had stolen her mother’s car the day before and had been smoking crack and drinking beer all night. As she was being read her rights, she continually interrupted stating she "has heard the bulls*** before."

She was arrested on suspicion of DUI and also issued citations for reckless driving and driving with a suspended license. Furthermore, she was found to have a warrant from Clay County for contempt of court.

Offers drugs, steals purse

A 31-year-old female reported she was walking south on Martin Luther King Dr. in Macclenny on Wednesday afternoon when she was approached by a white or possibly Hispanic man who asked if she wanted to buy some "hard" (crack cocaine).

She had told him she just needed to use a phone, when a black female came up behind them and stated she was the man’s wife. At that time, the suspect identified later as Joshua Cuevas slapped his wife and produced a knife, snatching the victim’s purse off her shoulder. As he ran away he dropped the knife and the purse after taking out the wallet.

Cuevas, 21, was not found at his residence, but a short while later was located several blocks away on Minnesota Avenue. Upon searching Cuevas, a screwdriver commonly used as a burglary tool was found in his front pocket. He denied the victim’s account and said the two women attacked him. He was arrested for robbery with a weapon and possession of burglary tools.

Trafficking in stolen property

A residential burglary in Charlton County, Georgia was solved with the arrest of a 23-year-old Macclenny man. While conducting an investigation into several thefts in Baker County, Investigator Steve Harvey received information that Matthew King Hunter had sold two televisions for $800 telling the buyer he needed the money because of financial troubles.

An acquaintance of Hunter said that Hunter had stolen the televisions from a friend’s home in Georgia. Investigator Grover Rhoden with the Charlton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a serial number matched one of the televisions stolen from their county. The other TV did not have a serial number, but matched the description of the stolen property.

Hunter failed a lie detector examination and was arrested for dealing in stolen property.

Car stolen from Wal-Mart lot

A Macclenny teen had his car stolen from the Wal-Mart parking lot in Macclenny last Tuesday. Camera surveillance shows a white Honda park behind the victim’s car. The driver then exited the car, lifted the hood and made it appear as though he was working on his vehicle. Within 30 minutes, the driver entered the victim’s car and drove away.

The abandoned car was registered in Michigan. When contact was made with the owner, she advised the vehicle had been missing for three weeks, but she had not been able to report it stolen as it was regarded as a civil issue given the subject was her daughter’s boyfriend, Shane Bordick.

Bordick is suspected to be on the run from law enforcement due to drug problems.