Charges upgraded to murder following brutal Keystone Heights attack

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Charges were upgraded from assault to second-degree murder following a beating that included a baseball, pool que and ax handle bat beating last November of a Keystone Heights man.
Kalvin Wayne Roe, 39, of Keystone Heights, was arrested after Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies tracked down witnesses in Ohio who implicated Roe.
The Clay County warrant stemmed from an assault on Nov. 21 as two men drove home on Bills Way. Roe was outraged Stephen Dalton Perry Jr. bought a pair of athletic shoes for the son of Roe’s girlfriend.
According to the arrest report, Roe threatened Perry with text messages, cellphone calls and on social media. The report also said Roe used to cellphone to set up a meeting with Perry that preceded the beating.
Perry’s body was dumped near a residence in Putnam County. Jesse Roe, who admitted driving Perry’s lifeless body to Putnam, has been charged with accessory after the fact.
Roe originally was arrested in Statenville, Georgia, on Nov. 26 after the Clay County Homicide Unit tracked his cellphone to a house in Echols County. He was housed at the Lowndes County Jail until he was extradited back to Clay County on Dec. 6.
Roe posted a $100,006 bail for aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was arrested as his home on Purdue Street.
Perry died of a blow to the back of his head by a blunt object, according to CCSO.
Perry was taken off life support died of his injuries six days after the attack.
Roe now is being held without bond.

Man arrested with photos of children having sex on his laptop
ORANGE PARK – A local man was arrested after Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies found photos on his laptop of children having sex.
Bryan Lee Kestner, 48, of Orange Park, was charged with 10 counts of possessing, controlling or viewing a depiction of children involve with sexual conduct. His bond was set at $250,030.
Deputies served a search warrant at Kestner’s home on July 23, where they found the files on a password-protected electronic device. He was arrested on Aug. 3.

Speeding warning turns into major drug bust for local woman
ORANGE PARK – A woman driving 7 mph over the speed limit got more than a ticket last Sunday after Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies found a “cocaine cookie,” fentanyl and an assortment of drug paraphernalia in her pickup truck.
Angel Nichole Gates, 37, of Orange Park was charged with trafficking 22 grams of fentanyl and possession of 19.5 grams of crack cocaine.
According to the arrest report, Gates was pulled over on Wells Road after deputies clocked her at 52 mph in a 45-mph zone. Deputies employed the use of K-9 Ory to conduct a sniff-search of the car after the noticed her acting nervously. When Ory alerted deputies of the drug, Gates reportedly said, “There is definitely drugs inside the vehicle.”
Gates was given a warning for speeding, but she remained in the Clay County Jail with an $77,508 bond.

Man caught by CCSO K-9 following high speed chase, two crashes
MIDDLEBURG – A man with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana led Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase that involved two different accidents and a litany of attempting to flee charges.
Sedrick Lorenzo Rivers, 32, of St. Augustine, was arrested on Aug. 1 and charged with possession less than 20 grams of marijuana, attempted escape, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, resisting arrest, attempting to flee police officers who had their lights and sirens on, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.
His bond was set at $117,771 – and only $752 of that was for the marijuana.
According to CCSO, Rivers hit a car at Sleepy Hollow Road and County Road 220 while being chased. Rivers sped away and eventually rear-ended another car at Sedwick Drive and Old Jennings Road, veered off the road and into a concrete culvert. Rivers tried to run away, but he was quickly apprehended by a K-9 from the sheriff’s office.

Imprisoned man arrested for handbag robberies at Dillard’s
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A man already at the Liberty Correctional Institution was brought back to Clay County on July 31 to face three counts of grand theft of more than $10,000 worth of handbags from Dillard’s at the Orange Park Mall.
Police had been looking for Richard Antonio McGriff III, 23, of Jacksonville, since the May 29 robbery.

Stakeout leads to arrest for maintaining drug dwelling
MIDDLEBURG – Acting on several tips and complaints from several forces, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Targeted Narcotics team arrested a 47-year-old man for maintaining a home used for drug trafficking.
Donald Wallace Combs also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and ammo by a convicted felon after deputies served a warrant at his house on Hereford Road. The warrant was issued following 10 days of surveillance and after deputies recovered methamphetamine and heroin on at least five visitors to the house.
Combs’ bond was set at $102,507.

Woman busted with stolen car, credit cards, checks, IDs
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A woman was caught with several identifications, driver’s licenses, checks and credit cards after the Green Cove Springs Police responded to a reported stolen car.
Sara Amanda Mullins, 27, of Green Cove Springs, was charged with grand theft auto, driving with a suspended driver’s license, three counts of burglary, two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card and four counts of petit theft.
Two Green Cove Springs Police officers quickly spotted a Toyota parked across the street from the Clay County Courthouse. They found Mullins at the car and a man sitting inside.
Mullins claimed she didn’t know the passenger and both said they didn’t know about the credit cards, checks and IDs.
Mullins’ bond was set at $45,028.