Latest news with #Hickox
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Drivers question timing of Parkway East lane restriction that's snarling traffic during the daytime
What looked to be the morning rush hour lasted well into the early afternoon due to a lane restriction just before the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Many drivers wonder why PennDOT would choose to do construction work on the busy road during the day. 'I don't know why they just don't keep it at night 'cause that's the best time to get it done,' said Rob Hickox, who commutes to work through the tunnel. 'It's not going to be convenient,' said Edgewood native Max Williams. 'There is no reason people need to be going to work three hours early,' Hickox said. The $95 million project, known as the Commercial Street Bridge Replacement Project, has cars stretched from the Squirrel Hill Tunnel all the way to Uptown. Traffic is down to one lane on the Parkway East, which was originally scheduled for overnight. 'We did get some complaints from the residents nearby about disrupting their sleep, so we did want to try to accommodate that,' said Doug Thompson, of PennDOT. Now, the restriction happens during the morning rush hour and lasts through 2 p.m. 'It's prime time travel time for everybody,' Hickox said. PennDOT said the lane closure will be in effect through July but with a break during the week of June 9th when the U.S. Open is in town. 'That's so we can have everything opened up for the additional traffic we will be expecting,' Thompson said. Still, those who live near the construction say it causes dangerous driving on their neighborhood side streets. 'It's not ideal as far as the safety of people on the street, small streets. And it's an inconvenience for people driving,' Williams said. 'The first few days are the worst and then people find alternate routes and things improve some,' Thompson said. Thompson said the project is on track. As Channel 11 previously reported, PennDOT is planning to close the Squirrel Hill Tunnel for 25 days as part of this project in 2026. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Addicted for years, ex-FHP trooper gets prison time for drug heists while on DEA task force
A once-standout Florida Highway Patrol trooper will spend nine years in prison for conspiring with another Jacksonville-area lawman to steal drugs and money confiscated from criminals, a federal judge said Friday. Joshua Earrey, 46, was part of a Drug Enforcement Administration task force who admitted to a string of crimes, some done to feed a years-long dependence on oxycodone pills. In 2024, Earrey signed a plea agreement that recounted him helping sell more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana that his cohort, former Nassau County Sheriff's Sgt. James Darrell Hickox, stole from Sheriff's Office storage. Previously: DEA agent from Jacksonville pleads guilty to taking bribes, facilitating large sales of meth, heroin Hickox was sentenced in January to 17 years and six months in prison. Sentencing guidelines recommended at least 14 years for Earrey, but prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger he deserved a reduction based on the "substantial assistance" he gave authorities starting when agents approached him as he got off a cruise ship with his family. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hamilton recommended 11 years, but the judge said Earrey's diligent work on recovery ― he's been sober a little over two years ― justified a further decrease. Berger, who previously ran a drug court as a state judge, cautioned Earrey to take whatever steps were needed to avoid relapsing while he's behind bars. "Do what you have to do to stay away from them," the judge said of drugs she acknowledged are often available in prisons. "You made it this far." When he took a plea dela last year, Earrey admitted a laundry list of crimes that included helping steal a one-kilogram brick of cocaine that he replaced with a 3D-printed dummy brick and helping stage a traffic stop to take a courier's shipment of what was supposed to be about 13 pounds of fentanyl (the shipment turned out to be counterfeit). The trooper, who had been a finalist for the state's law enforcement officer of the year award in 2010, also admitted in the agreement taking at least $20,000 from drug dealers who either bribed him or were extorted into paying to stay out of trouble. The cash was used to buy pills, said court records, which also described him trading two cases of rifle and handgun ammunition ― the cases usually contain 1,000 rounds ― for oxycodone from a convicted murderer who didn't have a legal way to buy ammunition. Earrey, who was prescribed pain pills after being injured training canines for FHP, took 30 to 40 pills a day at the peak of his dependency, Berger was told. In addition to returning drugs to the street, the crimes Earrey and Hickox admitted also helped scuttle charges against a Jacksonville couple once charged in connection with the 2020 shooting of a Jacksonville police detective during a SWAT call. As task force members, Earrey and Hickox both played roles in an investigation that led to police serving a warrant at the home where the shooting happened. But their prosecution turned up so much deception that the State Attorney's Office said in 2023 that they "raise significant question" about what happened before the shooting. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ex-FHP trooper gets 9-year sentence for rip-offs while on DEA task force
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jesup Mayor sparks controversy online amidst local ICE protests
JESUP, Ga. (WSAV) – A photo posted to social media last week by the mayor of Jesup caused a stir in the local community. The post in question was a photoshopped image of immigration agents detaining popular Hispanic cartoon character Dora the explorer, and the controversial image has many reacting online. 'As the mayor, you're supposed to be a civil servant, and when you have that position of power, you're held at a higher standard,' Carisa Ray, a Jesup resident, said. 'Even if that's how you feel, you don't post that because you're pushing away a whole group of people.' Jack Heorin, another Jesup resident, said, 'It could be dealing with the election from the president, but I honestly don't think he did it to hurt anybody or offend anybody.' In a statement to News 3, Mayor Ralph Hickox said he did not intend for anyone to take his post seriously because he found the photo to be 'ridiculous.' 'To be clear, I do not support nor agree with deporting children. Period…We are a country of immigrants. Our country should embrace immigration. I do believe it should be legally though, and the process shouldn't be that hard,' Hickox said. Though, tensions have been high since the Trump administration started its deportation efforts, which inspired a recent protest in Jesup. 'To post that and say lol like it's funny, it's not funny. This is people's lives, and that's a problem,' Ray said. 'When your kids are coming home crying because their friend is crying that they don't want to go back to Mexico and their friend has never been to Mexico…they wouldn't even know what that looks like…People need to realize people are people.' In his statement, Hickox also said that looking back, he's learned from this controversy. 'In retrospect, especially in my position I should probably either not post at all or elaborate more on my intentions if I do,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
A Florida officer who pleaded guilty to stealing seized DEA drugs gets 17 years in prison
MIAMI (AP) — A Florida police officer has been sentenced to more than 17 years behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing drugs, cash and firearms from federal investigations and admitting that he once went so far as to swap cocaine seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with a fake kilo made from a 3D printer. James Hickox's sentence, handed down Monday in Jacksonville federal court, is the stiffest yet imposed against more than 20 DEA agents and task force officers charged in recent years with crimes ranging from perjury and assault to wire fraud and money laundering on behalf of the same drug cartels the DEA is charged with fighting. Hickox, a sergeant with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, was arrested in 2023 along with Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joshua Earrey on charges of possession with intent to sell drugs . Both had been assigned to a DEA-led task force in Jacksonville. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. As part of his plea agreement, Hickox admitted to receiving more than $420,000 for routinely stealing and selling marijuana, cocaine and other drugs seized as part of DEA operations and then falsely claiming the evidence had been destroyed following normal procedure. He also confessed that in 2022, he swapped a kilogram of cocaine seized by the DEA with a brick made from a 3D printer sprinkled with real cocaine to make it look legitimate. Hickox said he then gave the real cocaine to a Jacksonville drug trafficker who sold it for around $20,000. About half that amount was paid to Hickox. Hickox's father said the stress of his work for the DEA, dealing with criminal informants on a daily basis and being surrounded by large amounts of cash and drugs, contributed to his son's descent into criminality. He said the DEA needs to provide mental health counseling to properly vet its workforce and prevent other criminals from abusing the public's trust. 'They have to live two lives," his father, James Lee Hickox, told WJXT television in Jacksonville. 'You're out slinging dope for the DEA and then you go home and be a family man.' Hickox, 38, also said he gave around 550 pounds (250 kilograms) of marijuana to one informant, receiving about $200 to $400 for every pound sold. On another occasion, according to the plea agreement, he and Earrey staged a fake traffic stop to seize what they thought were 6 kilograms (13 pounds) of fentanyl arriving from another state. When authorities searched Hickox's house, they found cocaine, methamphetamine pills and a powdery substance containing fentanyl, as well as several firearms that had been seized during law enforcement operations. The narcotics were found in a converted garage labeled 'Gator's Man Cave.' Hickox, in his plea agreement, also admitted to routinely breaking into DEA evidence bags, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and then resealing the bags, or repacking the currency into another heat-sealed bag with forged signatures, to cover his tracks. "Law enforcement officers who operate as though they are above the law betray the badge and the citizens they swore to protect,' FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Kristin Rehler said in a statement. Attorneys representing Hickox did not respond to an email seeking comment. Earrey is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
The Independent
29-01-2025
- The Independent
A Florida officer who pleaded guilty to stealing seized DEA drugs gets 17 years in prison
A Florida police officer has been sentenced to more than 17 years behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing drugs, cash and firearms from federal investigations and admitting that he once went so far as to swap cocaine seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with a fake kilo made from a 3D printer. James Hickox's sentence, handed down Monday in Jacksonville federal court, is the stiffest yet imposed against more than 20 DEA agents and task force officers charged in recent years with crimes ranging from perjury and assault to wire fraud and money laundering on behalf of the same drug cartels the DEA is charged with fighting. Hickox, a sergeant with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, was arrested in 2023 along with Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joshua Earrey on charges of possession with intent to sell drugs . Both had been assigned to a DEA-led task force in Jacksonville. As part of his plea agreement, Hickox admitted to receiving more than $420,000 for routinely stealing and selling marijuana, cocaine and other drugs seized as part of DEA operations and then falsely claiming the evidence had been destroyed following normal procedure. He also confessed that in 2022, he swapped a kilogram of cocaine seized by the DEA with a brick made from a 3D printer sprinkled with real cocaine to make it look legitimate. Hickox said he then gave the real cocaine to a Jacksonville drug trafficker who sold it for around $20,000. About half that amount was paid to Hickox. Hickox's father said the stress of his work for the DEA, dealing with criminal informants on a daily basis and being surrounded by large amounts of cash and drugs, contributed to his son's descent into criminality. He said the DEA needs to provide mental health counseling to properly vet its workforce and prevent other criminals from abusing the public's trust. 'They have to live two lives," his father, James Lee Hickox, told WJXT television in Jacksonville. 'You're out slinging dope for the DEA and then you go home and be a family man.' Hickox, 38, also said he gave around 550 pounds (250 kilograms) of marijuana to one informant, receiving about $200 to $400 for every pound sold. On another occasion, according to the plea agreement, he and Earrey staged a fake traffic stop to seize what they thought were 6 kilograms (13 pounds) of fentanyl arriving from another state. When authorities searched Hickox's house, they found cocaine, methamphetamine pills and a powdery substance containing fentanyl, as well as several firearms that had been seized during law enforcement operations. The narcotics were found in a converted garage labeled 'Gator's Man Cave.' Hickox, in his plea agreement, also admitted to routinely breaking into DEA evidence bags, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and then resealing the bags, or repacking the currency into another heat-sealed bag with forged signatures, to cover his tracks. "Law enforcement officers who operate as though they are above the law betray the badge and the citizens they swore to protect,' FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Kristin Rehler said in a statement. Earrey is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
