Lawmen bust 10 in Shalimar raid on alleged public nuisance residence

SHALIMAR, Fla. — A narcotics search warrant has led to the arrest of 10 people in Shalimar, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has announced.

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), 10 people were arrested on wide-ranging charges after its Special Investigations Section served a narcotics search warrant at a home where deputies had been called for past overdoses and neighbors had complained about junk and trash covering the property.

Edwina Jackson, 53, of 34 9th Avenue in Shalimar, is charged with having a public nuisance residence, elderly neglect, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the OCSO said.

OCSO Investigators said Jackson and Joseph Downing, 62, also of that address, were caretakers there of an elderly female who was living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions which include being exposed to the frequent use of heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the home.

She had no bed and stayed in a chair all day, the OCSO said. The victim was relocated to a safe place by the Department of Children and Families.

Downing’s charges include operating a public nuisance residence, elderly neglect, possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted felon, and corruption by threat of a public servant.

According to the OCSO:

• Alisha Dean, 32, who reportedly lives in an RV on the property, is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Resident Charles Morrison, 54, is charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

• Resident Doug Spence was served a warrant for failure to register as a sexual offender.
• Four others at the property, Billy Cook, Eldon Cuchens, Greg Murphy, and Jered Smith, face a charge of resisting an officer without violence.
• Matthew Strunk is charged with felony violation of probation on original charges of possession of a controlled substance.

Deputies said some of the individuals were sleeping outside in cars that had been cut in half. Inside the home, which the OCSO said was roach-infested, there reportedly was no running water and no working bathroom.