Sheriff Wayne Ivey Honors Three As Canaveral Precinct Deputies of the Month
By Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff // March 30, 2016
seized seven pound of marijuana
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Just six days after seizing several pounds of marijuana during a disturbance, Sergeant Kurt Benfant, Deputy Taylor Barrett and Deputy William Gleason were at it again when they collectively responded to another incident on Hayes Avenue in Cocoa Beach.
The disturbance initially appeared to be the result of a vehicle crashing into a tree however subsequent investigation by Sergeant Benfant revealed that the crash was the result of a disturbance over a potential theft.
Realizing there was more to the story, Sergeant Benfant along with Deputies Barrett and Gleason, worked to develop suspects in the case and to determine exactly what had led to the incident.
As a result, Sergeant Benfant, Deputy Barrett, and Deputy Gleason began to canvass the area in search of additional evidence.
As part of the investigation the Deputies checked the fence line in the area of 280 Hayes Avenue. Once inside the open courtyard area, a male subject was observed walking away from the Deputies carrying a soft-sided rolling cooler.
Sergeant Benfant and Deputy Gleason split up checking opposite sides of the complex. Sergeant Benfant rounded the corner and saw the same male subject again.
This time he had the cooler above his head and threw it over the fence, onto the shoulder of the adjacent roadway.
The male then turned around and noticed Sergeant Benfant. The male put his hands up as if to imply that he was the suspect of a crime.
His voice trembled as he said, “I am sorry officer.” Sgt. Benfant told the subject he was just in the area looking for evidence from a crash that occurred down the street.
As dialogue continued Sergeant Benfant noticed the male grew more nervous. Sergeant Benfant subsequently looked over the fence to see the cooler laying unattended next to the roadway.
As the subject became more anxious Sergeant Benfant tried to calm the male down and assured him that everything could be resolved. At this point the subject said, “well it’s seven pounds!”
A check of the cooler did in fact reveal that the subject was in possession of approximately seven pounds of marijuana.
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A search of the subject by the Deputies during his arrest also revealed that he was in possession of two counterfeit $100 bills that he admitted to knowing were counterfeit.
As the investigation continued Agent J. Roberts and Adam Steuerwald of our Special Investigation Unit assisted in the investigation by obtaining a search warrant for the suspect’s residence which produced an additional pound of marijuana.
In total, the investigation conducted by Sergeant Benfant, Deputy Barrett, Deputy Gleason, Agent Roberts, and Agent Steuerwald led to the seizure of 8 pounds of marijuana, counterfeit currency, various items of drug paraphernalia, and the arrest of two suspects for possession of the items.
Please join me in congratulating Sergeant Benfant, Deputy Taylor Barrett, and Deputy William Gleason for being named Deputies of the Month for our Canaveral Precinct and in thanking all of our members for their continued commitment to protecting our citizens.
ABOVE MAP: DEPUTIES OF THE MONTH: Sergeant Kurt Benfant, Deputy Taylor Barrett and Deputy William Gleason responded to a disturbance on Hayes Avenue in Cocoa Beach.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft. That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.
Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.
Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.
