[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 07/03/20]
CLERMONT, Florida — An early morning search warrant at a home that has been searched for drugs in the past, resulted in the arrests of two people Wednesday.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and detectives from the Special Investigations Unit served a warrant at 510 East Highland Avenue, Clermont, which is just 970 feet from St. Mark AME Church, 810 Disston Avenue, and found a “large amount” of marijuana, hydrocodone, a gun and more than 50 grams of cocaine, according to an arrest affidavit.
While executing the search warrant, detectives observed Rodney Devon Cooper, 35, sleeping in a front bedroom. Upon searching that bedroom, detectives found a cigarette pack containing crack cocaine, a digital scale, a small amount of marijuana, one and a half pills of acetaminophen and hydrocodone mixture and 8 grams of an unknown substance that will be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing. In the closet of the bedroom, a black bag was found containing a .45 caliber handgun with ammunition.
Cooper was out on bond for several felony cases and was equipped with a GPS monitor, according to the affidavit. One of Cooper’s conditions was to stay in Lake County and the GPS history showed several unauthorized trips to Orange County, the arresting detective noted in the affidavit.
In a back bedroom, an LCSO detective found a plastic bag on the floor; inside the bag, the detective found a large amount of marijuana and two prescription pill bottles — one without a label and one with the name “Libby Hill Jervis.” Both bottles contained cocaine, according to the affidavit. Jervis, 57, told detectives she did not own any of the drugs found in the home and they belonged to “Leroy,” a man who was not present during the search warrant. Detectives asked Jervis if “Leroy” had access to any documents with her name on them, including the pill bottle and Jervis said he did not. Jervis also said she has lived at the residence for many years and often different people stay at the residence and sell narcotics, the affidavit states.
Jervis was charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana more than 20 grams and possession of a place to sell a controlled substance. She was released from the Lake County Jail on $32,000 bond. Cooper was charged with possession cocaine within 1,000 feet of a church, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, less than 20 grams. His bond was revoked on multiple prior charges and he is being held in LCJ on no bond.
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
