By Staff Reporter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 52-year-old man named Darrell Daryl Johnson found himself in police custody last night after a routine interaction with law enforcement took an unexpected turn. Johnson allegedly revealed a small bag of marijuana to a deputy, which subsequently led to a search yielding crack cocaine and a significant amount of fentanyl, suggestive of trafficking intentions.
The incident unfolded around 9:15 p.m. on June 3 when an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped Johnson, who was riding his bicycle against the flow of traffic on NE 19th Street. His bicycle also lacked the required rear red reflector.
During their exchange, the deputy reportedly detected a strong scent of marijuana. In the course of their conversation, Johnson allegedly opened his crossbody bag, voluntarily displaying a small quantity of marijuana. Since Johnson could not produce a valid medical marijuana card, the deputy initiated a probable-cause search.
As the deputy began the search, Johnson purportedly resisted by repeatedly removing his hands from the patrol car. When the deputy attempted to handcuff him, Johnson tried to flee but stumbled and fell. Despite the fall, he continued to resist, prompting a second deputy to employ a taser to subdue him. Following this intervention, Johnson was taken into custody.
The search reportedly produced 25 individual apple seed bags containing a total weight of 14 grams of fentanyl, 5.3 grams of crack cocaine, and 7.3 grams of marijuana. The amount of fentanyl is three times the trafficking amount of 4 grams, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media that this amount has the potential to result in more than 7,000 fatal doses.
Johnson has been charged with trafficking fentanyl, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and resisting an officer without violence. He has 13 felony convictions (non-violent, 11 drug convictions) and 16 misdemeanor convictions (one violent, eight drug convictions), and he has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2012. Judge Joy Danne determined that there was no probable cause for the charge of intent to sell cocaine, but there was probable cause for a cocaine possession charge. She set bail at $60,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.