Latest news with #LeonCountySheriff'sOffice
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Newsweek
Internet Reacts After Florida Man in Chuck E. Cheese Costume Arrested
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Social media erupted after a man in a Chuck E. Cheese costume was arrested and led out of the restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida, while families and kids watched the detainment of the man wearing a giant mouse head. A photo of the employee's arrest was widely distributed and viewed online in a Facebook post from freelance writer and former trial lawyer Chuck Hobbs. Ok, Tallahassee Police Department, y'all couldn't let this man change out of his Chuck E. Cheese costume before arresting him in front of those kids? 🤔😭🙄 "Ok, Tallahassee Police Department, y'all couldn't let this man change out of his Chuck E. Cheese costume before arresting him in front of those kids?" he wrote in a caption accompanying the photo. Why It Matters The Leon County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Newsweek that the suspect is 41-year-old Jermell Jarreau Jones. According to police records, Jones was arrested on three felony counts: criminal use of personal identification information, theft of a credit card and fraudulent use of a credit card over two times within six months. Contact information for an attorney representing Jones was not immediately available. Video footage and photos of him being taken into custody were widely circulated on social media, given the nature of the arrest and the circumstances surrounding it. Multiple photos and videos also showed shocked patrons looking on while Jones was handcuffed and led out into the restaurant's parking lot before officers had him remove his costume outside a police car. Chuck E. Cheese is pictured in Laurel, Maryland, on June 23, 2020. Chuck E. Cheese is pictured in Laurel, Maryland, on June 23, 2020. Julia Weeks/AP What To Know The internet flew into a frenzy after Jones' arrest, with a slew of users making Chuck E. Cheese references while discussing the news. "Bail has been set at 3,500 tickets," Chase Mitchell, writer for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, wrote on X in response to the news. Bail has been set at 3,500 tickets — Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) July 24, 2025 Emily C. Singer, writer for left-wing outlet Daily Kos, posted a screenshot of an officer leading Jones out of the restaurant in handcuffs while he was still dressed in the famous mouse's costume. "Record scratch, freeze frame ... 'You're probably wondering how I found myself in this situation,'" Singer wrote. Barstool Sports posted on X: "NOOOO THEY GOT CHUCK E. CHEESE." The post was accompanied by a video of the suspect having the head of the costume removed by police officers while he was standing while handcuffed outside the establishment. Right-wing commentator Nick Sortor wrote: "JUST IN: 'Chuck E. Cheese' has been ARRESTED in Florida ... Man, Chuck's finally hit rock bottom, it seems. What a shame." What People Are Saying The Tallahassee Democrat cited an employee at the restaurant who said of the arrest: "It's unfortunate that it happened here." The employee, who was not identified in the report, told the news outlet that Jones' arrest did not have anything to do with the company. What Happens Next Jones has been released on bond, according to police records.
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Man bonded women out of jail, then forced them into prostitution in FL, feds say
A man pleaded guilty to federal sex trafficking charges in a scheme in which prosecutors said he bonded women out of county jails, then forced them to work as prostitutes in Alabama and Northern Florida. Chad Cornelius Seymore, 49, of Dothan, Alabama, worked with others during the alleged trafficking conspiracy that spanned four years, including Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 47, of Gulfport, Mississippi, according to prosecutors. Seymore and Gandy are accused of forcing women into commercial sex acts along the Florida Panhandle in Destin and Panama City Beach, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida said in a June 20 news release. In January 2024, Panama City Beach police officers interviewed one of the women at a Wyndham hotel after an employee called 911 about a 'suspected trafficking victim hiding in the lobby,' prosecutors wrote in court filings. The woman said she was 'brought to Panama City' against 'her will after having been bonded out' of the Houston County Jail in Dothan, Alabama, according to a statement of facts. Then she revealed Seymore, known as 'Circle City Pimp,' and a woman she called 'Boss Lady,' who investigators identified as Gandy, 'forced and coerced' her into commercial sex acts with people she said were Seymore's customers, the filing says. Seymore and Gandy would transfer money tied to forced prostitution through online platforms, according to prosecutors. On June 18, a federal jury found Gandy guilty of a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Tallahassee criminal defense attorney Richard Higdon Smith, who was appointed to represent Gandy, declined a request for comment from McClatchy News. Seymore's court-appointed federal public defender, Joseph F. DeBelder, declined McClatchy News' request for comment June 23. Before Gandy's jury trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office said that Seymore pleaded guilty June 9 to five charges: Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercionSex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercionReceiving benefits from sex trafficking Interstate travel in aid of racketeeringMoney laundering Seymore is accused of physically abusing the women he sex trafficked. He 'recruited women suffering from drug addictions at hotels and through online advertisements,' prosecutors said. Multiple state and federal agencies investigated Seymore and Gandy, including the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Florida and the Dothan, Alabama, police department, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In an undercover sting operation by the Leon County Sheriff's Office, in June 2023, investigators met a woman Seymore is accused of trafficking in Fort Walton, Destin, Panama City and Dothan after responding to an online advertisement on a website called Skip the Games, court documents say. After speaking with the woman, the sheriff's office contacted police in Dothan for potential leads and received 'extensive information' on Seymore, according to prosecutors. Dothan police previously investigated Seymore in relation to human trafficking and 'received ongoing leads that Seymore used female inmates to recruit other inmates for (him) to bond out and pimp,' prosecutors wrote in court filings. 'Seymore would tell the bonded females they would have to work off the bonds,' court documents say. 'He was also known to keep the money and, if the girls didn't do what he wanted, would have the bond revoked sending them back to jail.' In one year, investigators found more than $80,000 tied to Seymore's alleged involvement in sex trafficking, based on a financial analysis, according to prosecutors. In a statement, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said, 'Thanks to the tireless efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who investigated this case, and the tenacious work of the federal prosecutors and support staff in my office, we have dismantled this sex trafficking conspiracy and obtained justice on behalf of its victims.' Seymore's sentencing hearing in Tallahassee federal court is set for Aug. 15, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Gandy is set to be sentenced a month later, on Sept. 15.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘A long 10 months': Man arrested in Tallahassee after crash that killed 7-year-old Jacksonville girl
Leon County deputies arrested the driver Florida Highway Patrol says is responsible for the July 2024 crash in Jacksonville that killed 7-year-old Serenity Holland. The Leon County Sheriff's Office says Quintarrius Donald was arrested in Tallahassee on Thursday. He's now facing two charges in Duval County: vehicular homicide and driving with a suspended license. The sheriff's office says he's had two previous charges in Leon County: driving without a license and driving under the influence. The arrest was made 10 months after Florida Highway Patrol says the crash happened as Holland's mom was driving her and Serenity on the Buckman Bridge. The crash report says Donald hit the back of their car going 95 miles per hour, 30 miles per hour over the speed limit. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Holland's sister tells Action News Jax seeing an arrest made so many months after the crash hasn't taken any of the pain from Serenity's death away, but is helping the family heal. 'It's just been like a long 10 months for me and my family,' said Shawndell McGriff, Serenity's sister. 'There were definitely times where I didn't think he would get arrested.' Florida law says vehicular homicides are second-degree felonies, which carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Donald hasn't yet been convicted, but McGriff is planning to push state lawmakers to write a new law creating harsher sentences for drivers who are convicted in similar crashes. 'Life is so precious and it's like they give people a few years for killing someone in a car accident,' McGriff said, 'I want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else.' Donald was taken to the Leon County jail after his arrest. Action News Jax is working to learn when he will be brought back to Duval County to go before a judge for the charges against him. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
LCSO: Rickards student arrested for Instagram mass shooting threat
Just days before the end of the school year, a student at Rickards High School was arrested May 19 after allegedly posting a video on Instagram threatening a mass shooting at the school, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. A tip about the video was received on May 15. The student, whose identity has not been released due to their juvenile status, has been charged with Written or Electronic Threats to Kill or Conduct a Mass Shooting. The student was taken into custody and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. 'The Leon County Sheriff's Office, in coordination with Leon County Schools, treats all threats toward schools with the highest level of concern,' the agency said in a statement. 'We remain committed to investigating any potential threats and ensuring the safety of students and staff.' Authorities emphasized that all threats are taken seriously, regardless of their perceived credibility, and urged parents and guardians to speak with their children about the severe consequences of making such statements — even as jokes. The Sheriff's Office also reminded the community about the availability of the FortifyFL app, which allows students and residents to anonymously report suspicious activity. Tips can also be made by calling 850-922-KIDS. The arrest is the second at Rickards in less than two weeks. A 17-year-old student was arrested and charged with battery on a school official on May 7. The teen was involved in a verbal altercation in the school's courtyard which prompted school staff to intervene, including a security guard and administrator. The student refused to go to the front office when instructed by the administrator. After the administrator attempted to escort her, the student resisted and began to punch the school official in the face repeatedly, according to LCSO. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LCSO: Rickards student arrested for Instagram mass shooting threat
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
LCSO: Clash over Chromebook ends in battery charge for Rickards High School teen
After arguing over the return of a laptop, a Rickards High School senior has been arrested on a charge of battery on a school official, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. It marks the second assault arrest at the school this month, and the second arrest of a Rickards student in a week. The student, scheduled to participate in the school's graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. May 21, was instead taken to the Leon County Detention Facility. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said he had no knowledge of the arrest when asked about it by a reporter around 5 p.m., just as he was leaving a graduation ceremony at Raa Middle School. The 18-year-old student was in a dispute with a school staff member regarding the return of one of the school's Chromebooks, the laptop computers students use to complete school assignments, according to the Sheriff's Office. When told to leave, the student refused, physically blocked the doorway and allegedly struck the employee in the chest multiple times. Under state law, battery on a school official is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Days earlier, on May 19, a Rickards student was arrested by the Leon County Sheriff's Office after allegedly posting a video on Instagram threatening a mass shooting at the 65-year-old high school. On May 7, a 17-year-old Rickards student was arrested for battery on a school official after she allegedly punched an employee in the face multiple times. Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@ Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rickards rocked by arrests: Third student charged in last few weeks
