News and Investigations

Summary
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives from the Gang, Homicide and Robbery units have arrested 19 Polk County gang members responsible for a series of drive-by shootings, other felony offenses, and a fatal stabbing. These gang members were responsible for a series of violent inter-gang attacks between five gangs in Polk County, primarily from Winter Haven, Haines City, and the Waverly area. 

Violent Gang Investigative Task Force (VGITF); created in February 2023
The VGITF was created in February of 2023 as a multi-agency effort between the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, local police agencies, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, ATF Tampa, FBI Tampa, and both the United States Attorney and State Attorney of the 10th judicial circuit, Brian Haas. Its mission is to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle gangs operating in Polk County. It was created to send a message to those in Polk County wishing to commit gang-related crimes that our law enforcement and criminal justice system will not tolerate threats to the safety of the hard-working citizens of Polk County. 

In 2019, there were six recorded incidents of gang-related shootings in the county; the number increased to 59 in 2022. This increase in violence led to Sheriff Judd forming the Violent Gang Investigative Task Force.

In the 18 months before its creation, Polk County had 87 gang-related and suspected gang-related shootings. Since the creation of the VGITF, and thanks to the hard work of our detectives and the cooperation we have received from other local law enforcement agencies, we have seen a reduction in the number of these shooting to 61 in 18 months – a 30% decrease. Since its inception, the VGITF has identified and arrested 144 gang members and gang associates. 57 firearms have been recovered during multiple investigations and arrests, six of which were confirmed stolen.

Operational Statistics: (numbers are approximate)
144 gang members have a total of approximately 1,599 prior arrests, 1,669 felony charges, and 1,166 misdemeanor charges. 67 out of 144 are convicted felons (approximately 47%).
The 144 gang members’ past charges to include: 
Homicide/Attempted Homicide – 28 
Weapon Offenses (i.e. Dangerous Shootings, Shoot/Throw Missile) – 37
Possession of Firearm/Weapon – 141
Robbery – 55
Aggravated Assault/Battery – 52
Assault/Battery – 178
Armed Burglary – 29
Motor Vehicle Theft – 66
Narcotics – 583
Resisting Officer with Violence – 13

Timeline 
In July 2023, detectives from our Robbery and Homicide units began investigating the connection between multiple drive by shooting incidents that began in May of 2021.  

This series of shootings were ignited by the murder of Dyreon Outsey (20), a known gang member. Three days later, another gang executed a drive-by shooting at a known rival gang hang out. This was the beginning of a series of retaliatory attacks between these rival gangs, detailed as follows:
• May 23, 2021 – Dyreon Outsey was shot and killed. Tyquaveon Robinson (22) and Branden Johnson (31), were arrested for the murder of Outsey.
• May 26, 2021 – Zedarian Outsey (20), Deshawn Williams (21), and Tyrone Berry (23) committed a drive by shooting with an assault rifle in East Winter Haven, at a known rival gang hangout. Kevin Marcel (25) returned fire, as he was outside the residence at the time the shooting began. Berry and Williams received non-life threatening injuries during the incident. Berry, Outsey, and Williams were charged with attempted murder.
• January 30, 2022 – Beginning at Cypress Lanes Bowling Alley in Winter Haven, members of two rival gangs were involved in a running gun battle in their vehicles that ended on Martin Luther King Blvd and NE 11th Street in West Winter Haven. The shooting resulted in the death of Ira Footman (22), a gunshot wound to the leg of Carlos Martinez (19), and non-life threatening gunshot injuries to Demetrius Brown (29) and Jonathan Scarvers Jr. All those injured were members of one gang, and Martinez’s leg was amputated as a result of his injuries. Jermaine Hawthorne (18), Antonio Lewis (23), and Mechael Jean-Charles (19) all members of the rival gang, were arrested for the murder of Ira Footman.
• December 4, 2022 – Members of another gang executed a drive-by shooting in Northwest Winter Haven at the home of Jermaine Feacher (20), who is a member of a rival gang. This shooting was perpetrated in retaliation for the murder of Ira Footman in January. No one was injured during this incident. Arlearria “Leary” Buchanan was later charged with attempted murder for this incident.
• December 30, 2022 – Three vehicles drove by a known gang member hangout in Northern Haines City, and a drive-by shooting occurred. No one was injured in this shooting, although several of the rounds of ammunition fired struck vehicles and entered dwellings in the area surrounding the gang hangout. 
• January 2, 2023 – Members of one gang attempted to kill Trevin Barnhill (20), a member of a rival gang at in East Lake Wales in retaliation for the murder of Ira Footman. Jacoya Allen (21), the girlfriend of Barnes, was shot during the incident and received non-life threatening injuries. Barnhill later accused Scarvers Jr. of perpetrating the shooting in a sworn statement. 
• January 2, 2023 – Another shooting occurred in North Lake Wales, about 15 minutes after the first shooting. Two young girls, ages 12 and 14, were shot while lying in bed. They received non-life threatening injuries. Teville Burgess resides in the house next door and was believed to be the intended target. 
• January 3, 2023 – A group of gang members and others were arrested for breaking into a vacant rental property in the Lake Alfred area. The residence was being used as a gang hangout, and evidence of weapons and drugs were uncovered at the location during our investigation. Javonte Tubbs (28), Tracey Moise (23), Barrington Clarke (23), De’Andre Gilford (24), Lansly Genest (22), and Shaleste Brooks (20), associates of the gang were arrested for burglary. Jonathan Scarvers, Jr. and Alex Greene, both documented gang members, were charged with armed burglary. 
• April 2, 2023 – A carjacking occurred in Osceola County at 4:40 AM. About one hour later, the stolen vehicle was seen at the scene of a drive-by shooting which occurred in Winter Haven. The stolen vehicle was later discovered after having been set on fire a few blocks away from the home of Alejandro Mercedes, a known gang member.
• May 18, 2023 – The vehicle of Keyshawn Cox (22) was burglarized in Winter Haven. His Micro Draco firearm, which looks like a shortened AK-47 assault rifle, was stolen.
• May 19, 2023 – Courtney Brown’s residence was shot up in a drive-by shooting in retaliation for the theft of the Draco firearm the day before. No one was injured in this shooting. Wayne Hewitt (21) and Cox, both members of the same gang, were arrested in connection with the shooting.
• July 2, 2023 – A Kia Soul was stolen which was later used in a drive-by shootings on July 9, 2023 in Osceola and on July 26, 2023 in Lakeland. This vehicle was seen on surveillance video outside Courtney Brown’s residence on July 5, 2023.
• July 5, 2023 – A third shooting at the home of the Joboham brothers, Loren and Joseph, members of the same gang, occurred at 1:30AM. No one was injured in this shooting, but a neighboring house was damaged. The residents of the neighboring house had no criminal histories or ties to any gangs. The car seen on surveillance nearby at the time of this incident was linked to Buchanan.
• July 11, 2023 – Winter Haven Police Department responded to a call about a possible location on the Kia Soul stolen on July 2. Alejandro Mercedes and Anthony Wilcox, members of same gang, were in possession of the vehicle when WHPD responded and were arrested after a brief vehicle pursuit. They were both charged with Trespassing and Resisting an Officer without Violence.
• November 10, 2023 – At a Publix in Winter Haven, members of the three gangs engaged in a verbal argument which turned violent. Two individuals were stabbed, and Demetrius Alexis (16), later died of his injuries at the hospital. Teville Burgess was arrested in connection with the stabbing and was charged with manslaughter. Also arrested was gang member Bendarious Leaks. He was charged with battery.

Arrests & Criminal Histories
The individuals identified by our detectives as perpetrators of the prescribed events all have lengthy criminal histories, most of which date back to their adolescence. The age range of these offenders is between 16 and 29 years of age. 

“This is kids killing kids, and we’re not going to accept that. We’re not going to allow that.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

Their criminal histories, and the charges the Polk County Sheriff’s Office have arrested them for, are detailed below:
• Courtney Brown, age 21 – 
o History: Possession of a Weapon on School Property, and Carrying a Concealed Weapon 
o PCSO Charges: Directing gang activities with gang enhancement.
• Teville Burgess, age 19 – 
o History: Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Vehicle Theft, Burglary, and Possession of a Weapon or Ammo
o PCSO Charges: Violation of Probation
• Jonathon Scarvers Jr., age 20 – 
o History: Weapons Charges, Fraud, and Possession of a Controlled Substance 
o PCSO Charges: 13 counts of attempted 1st degree murder, 2 counts shooting into occupied dwelling, 2 counts shooting from a vehicle. All with gang enhancements.
• Arlearria Buchanan, age 19 – 
o History: Burglary, Vehicle Theft, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Carrying a Concealed Weapon
o PCSO Charges: 16 counts attempted 1st degree murder, 2 counts shooting into occupied dwelling, 2 counts shooting from a vehicle, armed burglary, grand theft firearm, directing gang activities. All with gang enhancements
• Alejandro Mercedes, age 16 – (Charged as adult)
o History: Vehicle Theft, Burglary, Multiple counts of Discharging a Weapon
o PCSO Charges: 14 counts of attempted 1st degree murder, 2 counts shooting into occupied dwelling, 2 counts shooting from vehicle all with gang enhancements.
• Laqavion Everett, age 16 – (Charged as adult)
o History: Vehicle Theft, possession of an automatic firearm, and possession of a firearm
o PCSO Charges: Possession of a machine gun, Possession of a firearm. All with gang enhancements 
• Asaiah Ford, age 22 – 
o History: Battery, Robbery with a Firearm, and Grand Theft of a Firearm
o PCSO Charges: Use of electronic communications to further criminal/gang activity.
• Loren Joboham, age 19 – 
o History: Battery on an Education Employee, multiple counts of Burglary, and multiple counts of Possession of a Weapon 
o PCSO Charges: Possession of a Firearm by a convicted felon, Trespassing and Resisting Arrest without violence.
• Essence Lattimore, age 23 – 
o History: Robbery, Armed Burglary, Aggravated Assault with a Weapon, and Felony Retail Theft.
o PCSO Charges: Violation of Probation for being out past curfew. 

Other Details
The bad blood between these gangs stems in part, from a desire to “show off” on social media, and an apparent need for notoriety from their peers. They create rap songs, bragging about the crimes that they commit and share them amongst each other. Often, a new song by one of these gang members predicated a drive-by shooting or another instance of violence by their rivals. As the members of these gangs continued to age, their ability to access weapons and cars increased, which we believe accounted for the sharp uptick in drive-by shootings and violence in the areas they live in and frequent.

Many of the arrests made in this case include charges with a “gang enhancement.” Gang enhancements are added to existing charges and increase the severity of the penalty, because these illegal acts are being committed in the furtherance of gang activities.

PCSO detectives have also recovered multiple “switches,” during the course of this investigation. “Switches” are modifications that can be installed on handguns and rifles to allow them to shoot fully automatic. These alterations enhance the violence and lethality of incidents like drive-by shootings.

Operation Drive-By Bye is yet another in a series of operations carried out by the PCSO in an effort to end gang violence in our county. While our investigation into these drive-by shootings was underway, we were also conducting the following operations, which we have previously reported on, and making arrests:
• Operation Hot Wire – (September 2019-May 2020) PCSO made 74 arrests as a result of an investigation into a gang trafficking illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. This gang operated county-wide, nearly every municipality was affected, and they didn’t just traffic drugs, they were also responsible for five home invasions, one of which resulted in a murder. Our detectives were able to get millions of dollars’ worth of drugs and several firearms off the streets of Polk County.
• Operation Sex, Money, Murder – (March 2021-April 2022) PCSO made 41 arrests of gang members in Polk County for illegal drug sales, robberies, introducing contraband into prisons, conspiracy to commit murder, and coordinated attacks on other gang members. These arrests brought this organization to its knees.
• Operation Gangs & Guns – (March 2023-October 2023) PCSO arrested six gang members in the Lakeland area for 38 different instances of car burglaries, and for stealing the theft of seven firearms. We recovered two of the seven stolen firearms, and all the charges brought against these suspects included gang enhancements. These gang enhancements allow us to keep the suspects locked up longer, and keep the citizens affected safe from being further victimized by these offenders.
• Other Drive-By Shooting Arrests – (March 2023 & November 2023) PCSO arrested 19-year old La’Darion Chandler and 23-year old Daquan Carey, for drive-by shootings in the Lakeland and Waverly areas, respectively. Chandler is a self-proclaimed rapper, who fatally shot a man in the back. Chandler was charged with three felonies in this incident, including first degree murder. Carey is a documented gang member and his criminal history dates back to age 13. He was charged with 10 felonies and 4 misdemeanors for the shooting in Waverly.