Florida Career Criminal Strikes Again

                                                           

A Bradenton registered career offender is facing new charges after deputies say they pulled him over in a stolen vehicle while in possession of a stolen gun and narcotics including fentanyl packaged to sell, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Gerald Lee Williams, 37, was arrested Wednesday and charged with grand theft auto, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and four counts of sell, manufacture, deliver, or possession with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver a controlled substance. He is being held at the Manatee County jail without bond after the bonds in another pending case were revoked.

At 10 p.m., a deputy spotted Williams in a vehicle reported stolen to the sheriff’s office, according to an arrest report. The deputy followed the driver, later identified as Williams, to a Circle K gas station, 3001 First. St., and watched him exit the vehicle and go into the convenience store.

Williams was the only person in the car, the deputy reported.

The deputy went into the store and arrested Williams, charging him with grand theft auto.

Before the vehicle was towed because the owner could not be reached, the deputy searched the vehicle and found a loaded Glock handgun with eight rounds under the driver’s seat and a Crown Royal bag with narcotics packaged to sell under the passenger’s seat.

Inside the bag was 1.8 grams of fentanyl, 0.6 grams of methamphetamine, 6.5 grams of powder cocaine, 2.9 grams of crack cocaine and 10.3 grams of marijuana, the deputy reported after having weighed and tested the drugs. Inside the bag, the deputy also found Williams’ identification along with other documents that belonged to him.

The Glock was reported stolen out of Sarasota County in 2014.

Williams is a convicted felon. In 1999, he was released from prison after serving less than three years for an attempted armed robbery conviction. In 2001, Williams was sentenced to 15 years prison for a 2000 robbery conviction for which he served less than 14 years.

The court designated Williams a career offender, a designation for a habitual violent felony offender, a violent career criminal or a three-time violent felony offender, according to Florida statutes.

Williams was out on bond on a June 2016 charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and is scheduled to go to trial during the two-week trial period beginning April 3.

He was also out on bond for charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, resisting a law enforcement officer and possession of marijuana of 20 grams or less from a February 2016 arrest. That case is also scheduled to go to trial during the two-week trial period beginning April 3.