Deputies of Month honored at Chamber
Two local Lee County officers were honored at the May North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce luncheon as Deputies of the Month. Detective Jay Brett and Cpl. Chris Ashley were both recognized for outstanding service in key cases.
Generally, only one deputy is honored per month, with Brett receiving the May monthly award. Ashley was being honored for a previous month, when he was unable to attend the presentation because he was needed in the field, said Capt. Brad Gossman.
Gossman presented the award to Brett, along with Chamber President John Gardner.
“Jay just came to us not too long ago from the Lehigh office. I was in desperate need of a detective,” Gossman said. He talked about Brett’s case that ended up involving multiple agencies, reading from the nomination letter made by Sgt. Margaret Sigler of the North Criminal Investigations Division while adding details.
On April 29, Brett received information from a witness who had observed several pieces of stolen property inside of a residence, he said.
“Detective Brett obtained a sworn digitally recorded statement from the witness who had observed several guns, a bullet-proof vest and a police badge inside the residence,” he noted.
“The witness also observed two motorcycles inside the kitchen and three or four outside on the patio. The witness advised the two occupants of the residence were trying to sell him this stolen property the day prior.”
He said Brett brought this information to Sgt. Sigler’s attention. A uniform patrol officer was placed on the residence waiting for a search warrant to be signed.
Deputy Jarrod Cantrell, who is also a Chamber board member and NFM Honorary Mayor, and other officers then became involved.
Cantrell, who was was watching the residence, saw one occupant leaving the residence in his vehicle. Cantrell knew the man’s drivers license was suspended and notified Detective Brett.
Cantrell then conducted a traffic stop, confirmed the man was driving while his license was suspended, and brought the suspect to the North District to be interviewed by Brett.
The suspect confirmed the property inside his residence was stolen and provided the name of his partner, officials said. He gave a detailed sworn statement of how he and another suspect broke into vehicles from Cape Coral, Fort Myers, West District, South District and Collier County.
Brett notified victims of these cases and retrieved serial numbers for their property and notified each case detective and confirmed additional information to secure a search warrant.
“With the assistance of North District CID, West District CID, Crime Scene, Auto Theft, F.M.P.D and C.C.P.D, we recovered 151 bags of evidence, two motorcycles, two cars and several guns and pieces of evidence that did not fit into evidence bags, along with the police badge, bullet proof vest and several stolen tires and rims. With dedication, knowledge and investigative techniques, Detective Brett made it possible to bring several charges and closed numerous multi-agency cases,” Gossman said.
In her nomination, Sgt. Sigler said she nominated Detective Brett for Deputy of the Month for “his performance and initiative” in the case.
Lt. Steve Edlin both nominated and presented the next Deputy of the Month Award to Cpl. Chris Ashley.
“The case involved over $80,000 worth of marijuana plants,” Edlin said. “It was such an elaborate operation, it could have gone on indefinitely.”
He said that on Feb. 3, Ashley got called by a Florida Power and Light line crew on complaint that a resident on Old Rodeo Road in Alva was stealing electrical services by slicing into their main truck line by passing the meter.
“Ashley, being an experienced officer, started to look around the property only to discover that five air conditioning units were hidden in the palmettos. Further investigation revealed the units supplying air to a 60′ x 40′ metal building.
“Cpl. Ashley discovered a water supply going to the building and air vents along the exterior walls. He could smell a strong odor of marijuana being emitted from the vents.”
Narcotics officers were then notified and a search warrant was obtained. Upon entering the building, officers discovered more than 150 plants, in 25-gallon buckets, that ranged from six to eight-feet tall.
“The sophisticated growing operation had a value of over $200,000 in equipment not to mention the street value of the planets,” said Edlin. “Cpl. Ashley is dedicated and experienced and goes the extra mile. I believe he should be recognized for his involvement in this investigation.”
The next Deputy of the Month award will be given at the June Business Leaders Luncheon to be held on Wednesday, June 17, at 11:30 a.m. at Bianca’s Ristorante. Bianca’s is located at 16251 N Cleveland Ave. Cost is $15/Non-Members $20. Call the chamber at 997-9111 for reservations.
The guest speaker will be Trish Blissler of the Lee County Sheriff’s office, on the subject of “Learn how to protect your business.”
The next After Hours Networking Event will be held Tuesday, June 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at U.S.-41 Self Storage located at 14150 N. Cleveland Ave.
The cost is $5 per person and the event is open to public. RSVP to the chamber offices at 997-9111.