HOLLY HILL, Fla. – Six people were arrested Wednesday in Holly Hill when law enforcement moved in on a vacant home where suspected narcotics activity was taking place, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrests took place at 618 Flomich Ave., where sheriff’s office detectives and Holly Hill police were reportedly conducting surveillance that evening. The surveillance was in response to a number of complaints alleging narcotics activity at the residence, as well as constant pedestrian and bicycle traffic coming and going from the home, the sheriff’s office said.
While city staff and commissioners have been diligently working on solutions to resolve this quality of life issue for the community through court action, over the past week and a half, Volusia Sheriff’s Office detectives, with the assistance of Holly Hill police, have been conducting undercover operations and surveillance at 618 Flomich St., including controlled purchases of narcotics.
Volusia County Sheriff's Office statement (excerpt)
Sheriff Mike Chitwood and Holly Hill Mayor Chris Via said they have been working to get the ‘squatters’ out of the house.
They said they’ve been running into an issue nailing down who the property belongs to.
“The homeowner passed away. the person who the house went to passed away. So, it’s hard to determine. how do you determine trespass,” said the sheriff.
Via said the city is working to declare it a nuisance property or condemn it.
“The city attorney is in talks with the foreclosure attorney with the bank and they are filing next week to actually have a motion for ejectment of this house,” he said.
Then, Via explained, the city would be able to get the sheriff’s office back to the property and criminally trespass anyone in there. He said they’re hoping to have that all signed off within the next week.
Among the six people arrested was Jahmall Collins, 20, who detectives said was seen at the property operating a car bearing a different vehicle’s Florida tag. The vehicle was seen around 3 p.m. pulling into the home’s driveway, where investigators said a man in the driveway interacted with it in a way “consistent with a street level narcotics transaction” before the vehicle left, only to return after about two hours.
Detectives and officers approached the vehicle at this time, reporting that Collins then exited the driver’s seat and quickly made his way toward the home’s backyard. According to Collins’ arrest affidavit, he didn’t obey detectives’ commands to stop and was stunned multiple times with a Taser until he eventually complied.
Around 24 grams of fentanyl was located in the driver’s door of the vehicle, as well as a scale, baggies, two loaded pistols and ammunition, according to the document.
Collins faces charges of armed trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a weapon and ammunition by a convicted felon, resisting an officer without violence, possession of narcotic paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, attaching an unassigned tag and violation of probation, the sheriff’s office said. He’s being held on no bond.
The following five others were arrested at the home Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office:
- Paul Mellette, 44 — Faces a charge of sale of fentanyl; given $25,000 bond.
- James Stevens, 53 — Faces a charge of carrying a concealed weapon; given $1,000 bond.
- Sean Ramberg, 52 — Faces charges of possession of paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamine; given $3,500 bond.
- Clinton Golden, 48 — Faces a charge of possession of fentanyl; given $2,500 bond.
- Donathan Evans, 19 — Faces charges of possession of paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamine; given $3,000 bond.
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