ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Four people were arrested Thursday morning after the Clay County Sheriff's Office SWAT team raided a suspected drug house in an Orange Park neighborhood.
Armed with a search warrant, deputies entered the town house on Kettering Way in the Brighton Village subdivision about 6 a.m., the Sheriff's Office said.
Neighbor Gayle Waddle said she was asleep when she heard "two loud bangs," which were flash bangs to get the attention of the people inside.
Deputies said they found nearly a dozen people and drugs inside. Neighbors said all the occupants were restrained with zip ties.
Thursday morning's raid came in response to a wave of complaints and intelligence gathered by the agency's narcotics unit, spokesperson Chris Padgett said in a news release.
"This quiet and quaint community should never have been exposed to such dangerous behavior and our members are proud to have been able to help," Padgett said.
Neighbors said they would notice cars pulling up to the town home at all hours of the night.
"It didn't surprise me at all," Waddle said of the raid.
Another reason why Waddle said she was not surprised because she said five months ago, she took her dog, named Cricket, to an emergency room, thinking the animal was sick, but the veterinarian told her Cricket was "high on weed.” She believes Cricket ate traces of marijuana that may have been on the ground near the home while being walked.
Under arrest are Anthony Maceda, 38; Amy Permenter, 38; Randy Johnson, 24; and James Welles, 23. Maceda is charged with sale of methamphetamine. The rest face various drug possession charges.
After the raid, a message reading, “You had options,” could be seen on a board over a window of the town house.