A Morriston man is being held on $3.8 million bond after being arrested on July 21 in possession of Fentanyl, methamphetamines, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, MDMD ecstasy, and oxycodone after deputies responded to an open 911 call and found him hiding in a closet, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office said.
John Chastain, 34, came to the attention of the sheriff’s office when a 911 call was received from SE 55th St. and dispatchers couldn’t hear any noises or sounds coming from that location. However, two weeks earlier deputies responded to a domestic violence call at the same location.
When deputies arrived, they saw a man standing on the front porch. He immediately retreated inside the home. An F-150 Ford truck was parked in the driveway with the driver’s door open. Visible inside the truck were two handguns, cash, and drugs. The driver was the same person suspected in the previous domestic violence call. The man who ran inside the home matched the description of the domestic violence suspect.
Deputies and Levy County Drug Task Force members surrounded the home and called for the suspect to surrender. He didn’t respond. Deputies received permission from the homeowner to enter the home. They found Chastain hiding in a closet. He fought deputies when they tried to take him into custody peacefully. He was forcibly arrested.
Chastain was arrested for felony battery for the incident that occurred two weeks earlier. He was found to have 17.1 grams of Fentanyl in his pocket. The truck containing the visible drugs inside the vehicle was sealed and towed to the sheriff’s office impound yard. A warrant to search the truck was obtained by sheriff’s detectives.
On July 24, task force detectives executed the search warrant on his truck and recovered two plainly visible guns, drugs, and money. The search also led to the discovery of a third gun and more narcotics.
In all, three guns, one having been previously reported stolen in Levy County on March 9, 2023, were found along with 278.7 grams of Fentanyl (0.61 pounds), 580.1 grams of methamphetamines (1.27 pounds), 57.5 grams of powder cocaine, 20.8 grams of crack cocaine, 2.9 grams of MDSD ecstasy, 267 grams of marijuana, 5 packs of Fentanyl, 12 mcg/hr patches, oxycodone, and $1,600 cash, according to the sheriff’s office.
“In the State of Florida, possession of more than 400 grams of methamphetamines is considered a trafficking offense and is punishable as a capital felony with a potential life sentence. Possession of Fentanyl in excess of 28 grams carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Posted July 26, 2023
