Oakleaf High teacher arrested for alleged theft
OAKLEAF – The first day of the new school year proved a hard one for a teacher at Oakleaf High.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office went to the school and arrested Oakleaf High Chorus Director Valerie Jeneen Williams, 48, for two counts of grand theft for allegedly stealing more than $1,000 from a chorus fundraising project.
According to the arrest warrant, the investigation began when Roni Campbell, the internal accounts auditor for the Clay County School District, interviewed Williams about $1,200 in cookie dough fundraiser money. Police said, that on May 16, Williams reported the money and two receipt books were stolen from inside her classroom.
According to the warrant, which is heavily redacted, further investigation by CCSO detectives uncovered enough probable cause to seek a warrant for Williams’ arrest and that she had “committed the offense of grand theft.”
At press time, the school district had not commented on Williams’ arrest and whether she had been suspended from her position.
After being booked on the charges, Williams was released on her own recognizance.

Two counts of child porn for Orange Park man
ORANGE PARK – The wife of an Orange Park area man is credited with telling authorities that her husband was in possession of child pornography.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Paul Milton J. Rigsby, 48, on Aug. 13 and charged him with two counts of possession of images depicting children in a sexual act.
On Aug. 4, Rigsby’s wife told police the images on a computer she shared with her husband were not hers but belonged to her husband and he had downloaded them from another source.
She said there were “movies of what she believed to be children in the nude” and other images of children wearing suggestive adult undergarments.
At press time, Rigsby remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $50,003.

Jax man charged with adult imprisonment
ORANGE PARK – A Jacksonville man faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and adult false imprisonment after a brief investigation.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brian Oneil Ford, 35, on Aug. 13 at 11:14 p.m. after the victim called authorities and said she had been held at gunpoint against her will at an apartment on Cedar Bend Drive near Orange Park.
According to the police report, Ford held the woman at gunpoint and forced her to drive him to the Red Roof Inn on Youngerman Circle, just inside the Duval County line. CCSO worked with a JSO officer to go to the motel and question Ford who was later identified as the woman’s attacker.
A search of his motel room did not uncover any weapons, but officers did find a round of ammunition for a .380-caliber handgun. Officers also pointed out in their report that Ford “is a registered felon in the state of Florida.”
At press time, Ford remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $60,006.

Man steals car from owner at gas pump
FLEMING ISLAND – A Baldwin man is charged with stealing a sedan while the victim was in the middle of trying to swipe his card to pay for his gas at a Circle K.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kyle Lee Anglemyer, 34, on Aug. 12 at 6:30 a.m. after he fled the scene at the Circle K in the 4300 block of U.S. Highway 17 on Fleming Island where the theft occurred.
According to the police report, the victim told police that Anglemyer pulled up near pump No. 4 in a black Ford F-150 pickup around 5:15 a.m.
“While at the pump, [the victim] was going through the steps to render payment to the pump machine,” when Anglemyer pulled next to his white 2007 Buick sedan. The victim said Anglemyer got out of the truck, jumped into his Buick’s driver’s seat and fled the scene.
When Orange Park Police responded to a call about a possible auto burglary at 2223 Astor St., they assisted CCSO in apprehending Anglemyer, who they said, “appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
After an examination at Orange Park Medical Center, Anglemyer was booked into the Clay County Jail on two counts of grand theft auto, three counts of burglary, one count of grand theft and another count of criminal mischief. His bond is set at $115,020.

Drug trafficking arrest for homeless man
ORANGE PARK – A man described as homeless by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office faces multiple drug charges following a raid on a home in the 400 block of Bentwood Lane Drive near Orange Park.
Police arrested Darryl B. Walker, 57, on Aug. 9 at 8:36 a.m. for two counts of sale of heroin, possession of more than 20 g. cannabis, possession of methamphetamine, synthetic narcotic distribution, trafficking cocaine, trafficking heroin, trafficking hydrocodone, trafficking oxycodone, sale of cocaine. Also arrested in connection with Walker were Darius Vinson, 23, Jennifer Wiard, 29 and Michael Harper, 60. Harper is charged with owning or renting a structure where drugs are sold.
Officers seized 53.4 grams of cocaine, 23 grams of cannabis, 7.1 grams of heroin sealed in 53 baggies and 15.9 grams of crack cocaine.
SWAT and drug unit officers raided the home after obtaining warrant to search the home.
At press time, Walker remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $500,030.

Tip ends in lewd behavior charge
MIDDLEBURG – Acting on a tip from the Fernandina Beach Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Middleburg man with lewd and lascivious behavior on a child between the ages of 12 and 16.
According to the police report and warrant, Lance Adam Jerge, 44, turned himself in at the CCSO headquarters on Aug. 8 at 9:47 p.m.
Police said the tip came in to CCSO headquarters on July 16 regarding a 15-year-old girl that Jerge is accused of having sex with. The next day, the victim told a Child Protection Team investigator that she and Jerge had sex “several times in Clay County” despite her telling him her age up front.
At press time, he remained in the jail where his bond is set at $25,003.

Shooting at Island Life Grill
FLEMING ISLAND – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office investigated a shooting that took place over the weekend at a Fleming Island restaurant.
Around 1 a.m., officers responded to Island Life Grill at 2245-3 Plantation Center Dr. after they received a call about shots being fired.
According to an official CCSO statement, “Two individuals were struck, later being transported for medical treatment with non-life threatening injuries.”
The investigation is ongoing, but the community is urged to call CCSO if they have any information regarding the incident. Call the agency’s non-emergency number at (904) 264-6512.

Warrant ends in 10 counts of child pornography
ORANGE PARK – An Orange Park area man faces 10 counts of possession of photography depicting a sexual performance by a child after an investigation by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested Jeremy James Conner, 26, on Aug. 8 at his home off Camp Francis Johnson Road where they served a search warrant.
According to the heavily redacted CCSO report, Conner spoke to a detective in the front lawn of his home and was read his Miranda Rights.
At press time, Conner remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $100,030. According to records at the Clay County Clerk of Court, Conner has not been previously arrested as an adult in Clay County prior to this arrest.

Investigation finds woman stole almost $251,000 from employer
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – A Keystone Heights woman is free on bond after her arrest on charges alleging she stole almost $251,000 from her employer over a seven-year period.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Melinda Dawn Wilkes, 45, on Aug. 3 at 9:20 a.m. and charged her with grand theft and schemes to defraud after a lengthy investigation that dates back to April 2009.
According to the arrest warrant, Wilkes stole the funds from Keystone Chiropractic and Alliance Rehabilitation & Chiropractic between April 3, 2009 and April 20, 2016. However, it was not until July 31, 2018 that law enforcement obtained warrants for Wilkes’ arrest.
“Jinnifer Stephan advised Melinda Dawn Wilkes has been stealing money from the business by conducting fraudulent transactions via checks, money transfers, and debit card based transactions,” states the warrant.
Police found seven checks that were made payable to Wilkes for a total of $5,200 and another 9 bank withdrawals performed at Compass Bank in Keystone Heights for a total of $24,054. From the bank withdrawals, investigators found that Wilkes used $10,865 to make a down payment to purchase the Keystone Chiropractic building at 330 South Lawrence Blvd.
CCSO Financial Crimes Unit detectives also found Wilkes wrote 31 checks for $3,403 to pay for her “children’s extracurricular activities,” states the warrant.
Wilkes also wrote checks from Stephan’s businesses to two companies owned by Wilkes – Trinity Consulting and Wilkes Building LLC.
“There were 26 checks written to Trinity Consulting which is a company owned by Melinda Dawn Wilkes. Jinnifer Stephan advised the company never performed any work for her business. The total of those checks was $46,520,” states the warrant.
Investigators also found Wilkes had written 14 checks for $22,300 to Wilkes Building LLC, which became the owner of the building that housed Stephan’s chiropractic office. At that point, Wilkes allegedly raised the monthly rent from $659 to a varying rate of $1,000 or $2,000 a month despite Stephan never agreeing to changing the rental agreement, which is the reason for the schemes to defraud charge.
In total, Wilkes is charged with making $250,926 in fraudulent transactions. She was released from the Clay County Jail after posting bond of $50,006.