Three Daytona Beach residents are placed in handcuffs after a search warrant served by the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) turned up various kinds of narcotics and drug paraphernalia in their beachside home.
Members of DBPD’s Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Unit entered the structure at 105 Braddock Avenue around 5:00 p.m. Tuesday (August 3, 2021), detaining everyone inside the home at the time.
POP Unit Supervisor Captain Scott Lee says the police department received numerous complaints that the home was being used for drug sales.
“There was a lot of traffic coming in and out of this area,” Lee added. “That led us to take a closer look at what was going on. We’d like to thank those people for telling us what they saw. It helped clean up this neighborhood.”
Prior to the raid, Stacey A. Leeper – a 53-year-old woman who lives at the home - turned over a bag filled with 5.9 grams of methamphetamine to a police officer. She’s facing a felony charge for that and two additional felonies for morphine and oxycodone pills found in her bedroom during the raid. Leeper is also charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
Another resident – 34-year-old Benjamin K. Hardin – faces a felony drug possession charge after officers found him next to a small amount of heroin tucked into a day planner found in the living room. Hardin is also charged with a misdemeanor for giving officers a false name while being detained.
More drugs – including heroin, amphetamine, fentanyl and over 14 grams of methamphetamine – were found in two other bedrooms inside the house, including the one used by 29-year-old Karli S. Elliott. She’s facing felony charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of heroin and fentanyl along with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
While searching the home, officers found a small incendiary device in one of the bedrooms. The Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) Bomb Squad responded around 6:30 p.m. and took possession of the device for proper disposal. Investigators are trying to determine who it belongs to, per Captain Lee.
“We’d like to thank VSO for helping us handle this situation,” Lee added.
This is the seventh such raid conducted by the POP Unit since last December. Ten people in total were charged following raids at a home on Live Oak Avenue last April, a home on Goodall Avenue last March and a home on Ribault Avenue last January. 15 people in total were charged in the two raids at the Best Southern Sun Plaza Motel and the raid at the Camellia Motel.
Anyone who would like to report similar issues can contact DBPD POP Unit Sergeant Kevin Connelly at ConnellyKevin@DBPD.us or (386) 671-5162.